Cricket creates change in Cape Town's poorest township

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 27 Oct, 02:02 · Archive

Cricket is helping keep children away from gangs and drugs in Khayelitsha, Cape Town's largest township.

Cricket is being used as a vehicle for change in Khayelitsha, Cape Town's largest township, where the long-lasting impacts of Apartheid remain evident. The township, built in the 1980s as part of the forcible rehoming of Black Africans, is home to between one and two million people living largely in densely populated shacks. Unemployment sits above 50 per cent, median household income is around 20,000 rand per year, and crime is widespread.

The Catch Trust, launched as the Gary Kirsten Foundation by the former Proteas batter in 2014, is a training programme for around 450 local children. Donations have funded an artificial turf field and indoor nets at a local school, with elite coaching available. 'Cricket has changed most of our young people,' Lusindiso Malilwana, the coaching director, tells AAP. 'Cricket saved me. It saved my life and gave me structure.' He reports seeing young people progressing in their lives and changing their family stories through involvement in sport and education.

Players have also been able to tour England and play against school sides, offering opportunities beyond their township. The programme contrasts sharply with the world-class cricket facilities at Newlands, located about 25 kilometres away.

How it is being reported

• How cricket is changing Cape Town's poorest townshipIn the heart of Cape Town where the long-lasting impacts of Apartheid are still being felt, cricket is helping to try to create generational change.Perth Now · 27 Oct, 01:39
• How cricket is changing Cape Town's poorest townshipIn the heart of Cape Town where the long-lasting impacts of Apartheid are still being felt, cricket is helping to try to create generational change.The West Australian · 27 Oct, 01:39

In this story: Khayelitsha · Cape Town · Catch Trust · Gary Kirsten · Lusindiso Malilwana · South Africa

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