Don’t let your background define your future. Those are the words from the young South African hockey player Zenani Kraai.
The 23-year-old from the dusty streets of Langa was among the players who represented South African in the recent Paris 2024 Olympics Games held in France. The games ended on Sunday 11 August.
He described his inclusion in the national team as the dream come true.
“Getting a call-up from the squad was a huge boost for me. It was something I was hoping for from the onset. Based on the performance I displayed during the Nations Cup Poland in Poland last July gave me hope that I might be selected for the team,” explained Kraai.
Explaining how he received the news of his selection in the squad, he said he saw it on television while he was watching with his family.
“We were told by Team SA that the squad will be announced on television in the afternoon. I was watching with my family. When the names of the players appeared on television mine was on the bottom. My mother kept on asking if I knew the players whose names appeared on TV. My name came after a while and we all screamed in the house. We were jumping up and down. We were so excited,” he said, adding that he later received a message from Team SA congratulating him for being selected in the squad.
The Langa Hockey Club player confessed that playing hockey was not something that he dreamnt about. He said when he joined it he was playing for fun. “I think I started playing it at the age of eight. There was another uncle who used to play hockey who used to stay in the same street as mine. He used to take us when he was going for training at the Langa stadium. We used to play it for fun. He started organising matches with other teams from neighbouring areas,” adding that he took it seriously after they started playing with white teams.
Kraai stated that there is nothing fancy about his position. He said both his primary and high schooling was in Langa.
He said he was blown away by the support that he received from his family and the community on 14 Wednesday August. He said he was not expecting any welcoming.
“I wasn’t expecting anything. I was amazed when I saw people carrying placards with my name singing. As we arrived in Langa the community was abuzz on streets singing. They were hugging me with joy,” he explained.
Kraai, who is doing a one year course for personal fitness training at Sports Science Institute of SA in Newlands, urged other young players to be focused and work hard to fulfil their dreams.
Kraai is following in the footsteps of some of the legends who represented the national squad, including Thabo Mngomeni (Bafana Bafana), Jongi Nokwe (Springbok) and Themba Bavuma (Cricket).
