Visually impaired coach Lundi Potelwa uses soccer to steer Motherwell teenagers away from crime
Visually impaired coach Lundi Potelwa founded Mfengu Nation in 2024 and now leads the Peace Fighters to keep Motherwell teens engaged through sport.
Coach Lundi Potelwa founded Mfengu Nation in 2024
Lundi Potelwa, who is visually impaired, established the community sports organisation Mfengu Nation in 2024 and now oversees roughly 50 teenagers across soccer and netball programmes. The Peace Fighters football club serves as the flagship side, reflecting Potelwa’s focus on structured training and youth mentorship. His work combines basic coaching with life skills, aiming to reduce youth involvement in crime and improve school attendance. Potelwa supports the programme in part with his disability grant and small community donations.
Players describe respect for their coach and the programme’s reach
Teenagers who train under Potelwa praise his dedication and influence on their daily lives. "We have deep respect for our coach," says grade nine pupil Siphosethu Kiti, capturing the rapport Potelwa has built with his players. Older participants report improved discipline and ambition since joining the Peace Fighters, with some citing better school results and fewer nights on the streets. The club has become a local touchstone for families looking for positive extracurricular options.
Training in NU 11 park highlights equipment and facility shortages
Practices take place in a public park in NU 11, Motherwell, where basic conditions and a lack of kit present persistent challenges. Players frequently train barefoot and wear ordinary clothes because the club lacks sporting shoes and proper uniforms. This shortage limits safe practice and increases the risk of injury, particularly when sessions are interrupted or moved to less suitable surfaces. The team has appealed to well-wishers and local businesses for sponsorship of kits, boots, and basic equipment.
Community tensions over park use and lost training balls
The club’s public training spot has occasionally brought it into conflict with neighbours and other park users. Potelwa says residents sometimes chase the team away when they want to use the space for their own games or gatherings. Practice balls falling into adjacent yards has triggered disputes with homeowners, creating friction that disrupts regular sessions. These clashes underline the need for a dedicated, secure playing ground where children can train without interruption.
Identified Mbasa site offers potential site for a dedicated ground
Potelwa has identified the former Mbasa Secondary School site as a possible location for a permanent playing field, describing the area as a "filthy dumping ground" in urgent need of repurposing. He plans to approach the ward councillor to request access and to push for municipal involvement in clearing and converting the land. Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya confirmed that the councillor would be the correct route and could facilitate a meeting with the sports directorate. That formal route offers the clearest path to turning an abandoned site into a community asset.
Funding plans include soup kitchen and appeals to sponsors
Beyond replacing boots and kits, Potelwa wants to establish a soup kitchen to feed players and other children in the community, citing high unemployment and deep poverty in Motherwell. He hopes a combination of small grants, donations from local businesses, and municipal support can fund both the meal programme and basic operating costs. Using his disability grant to subsidise some expenses, Potelwa has already demonstrated personal financial commitment to the club’s survival. He emphasises that modest investments in food and footwear can dramatically increase attendance and participation.
Sport as a crime-prevention strategy in Motherwell
Potelwa said hearing "horrific stories" of young people who had fallen into crime or been killed prompted him to start coaching, and his programme is explicitly framed as a diversion from criminal activity. He instructs players to respect elders and prioritise schoolwork, linking athletic discipline to broader social responsibility. Players and community members say the structure of regular training and team membership reduces idle time and exposure to negative influences. Local advocates argue that modest investment in sports infrastructure can yield social returns by keeping youth engaged and off the streets.
Local support and obstacles for sustaining the Peace Fighters
Community members, including parents and older players, back Potelwa’s efforts but stress that support must go beyond verbal praise. Grade ten player Abonga Peter urges residents and businesses to "rally behind him" and contribute equipment and space. At the same time, logistical hurdles — such as finding permanent storage for gear, securing transport for away matches, and covering registration fees for competitions — remain unresolved. The club’s survival depends on a coordinated approach that combines municipal facilitation with private sponsorship and volunteer time.
Municipal process and the role of the ward councillor
The pathway to converting the former school site into a playing field requires formal engagement with municipal structures, starting with the ward councillor for the area. If the councillor endorses the proposal, a meeting with the sports directorate would follow to assess feasibility, safety, and any environmental concerns. Potelwa plans to pursue that route, and municipality officials have outlined the council-led process as the appropriate mechanism. Community groups seeking similar conversions are advised to prepare clear plans and demonstrate broad local support to expedite any municipal response.
Immediate priorities and realistic next steps
In the short term, securing basic kit and footwear is the most urgent need for the Peace Fighters, according to players and Potelwa himself. A small, targeted donation drive could supply boots and training shirts enough to outfit the core group and reduce health risks from barefoot play. Concurrently, arranging local volunteer help to clear and maintain the identified site would make a visible case for municipal action. Longer-term ambitions — including a soup kitchen and formal registration as a community sports club — will require sustained funding and governance planning.
The Peace Fighters’ story underscores how a small, volunteer-led programme can attract significant community support while also exposing structural gaps in local sports provision. Potelwa’s dual role as coach and organizer has kept the club running, but it also concentrates responsibility on one individual who already provides support from his own limited means. If municipal authorities and private donors step in, the club could secure a safer training environment and expand services such as meals, tutoring, and competition opportunities.
Local players say the presence of the club has changed daily routines and offered an alternative vision for the future. For many teenagers in Motherwell, joining a team has become a marker of belonging and aspiration rather than merely a pastime. Parents report improved punctuality for school and fewer evenings spent unmonitored, which they link directly to the structure provided by Potelwa’s coaching.
To translate goodwill into tangible results, organisers and supporters will need to map clear responsibilities, set modest milestones, and maintain transparent accounting for any funds raised. Doing so would make the club a stronger candidate for municipal support, business sponsorship, and potential collaboration with non-governmental organisations that focus on youth development. A stepwise plan would also protect players from the disruptions that come when programmes rely solely on an individual’s commitment.
Sustaining the Peace Fighters will ultimately depend on broadening the network of support beyond the circle of immediate participants and family members. If successful, the project could serve as a model for other townships where access to decent playing fields and equipment remains a barrier to youth sport. Repurposing disused public land and coordinating small-scale meal provision are practical interventions that can be replicated with modest funding.
Potelwa’s work in Motherwell highlights the social value of sport when combined with clear goals for education and behaviour. His emphasis on respect, study, and avoiding crime aligns with the priorities of families and local leaders who want safer, more hopeful options for teenagers. With targeted donations and a municipal pathway to secure a permanent ground, the Peace Fighters could expand both their membership and their community impact.
The club’s near-term survival rests on simple, achievable tasks: secure shoes and shirts, formalise contact with the ward councillor, and launch a small fundraising effort for a soup kitchen. These steps would stabilise training routines and address immediate welfare needs while building momentum for longer-term infrastructure changes.
If local stakeholders act on the opportunity to convert the former Mbasa school site and support Potelwa’s plans, Motherwell could gain an enduring community sports resource. For now, the Peace Fighters continue to train in a public park, demonstrating how grassroots leadership can make meaningful differences in the lives of young people.
