The Eastern Cape sports star of the year, Lusanda Dumke, will be representing the South African women’s rugby side at the Women’s World Cup which kicks off this weekend in New Zealand, with the knowledge that her family back home will soon have a proper house.
Her family currently lives in a one-bedroom informal dwelling in Mdantsane. Various public and private stakeholders raised R465 000 to buy a home for the Dumke family. This happy ending was triggered when Dumke won a car as sports star of the year; however, she refused to accept it because of her family’s living conditions.
Dumke is overjoyed knowing she can now keep the car she won and her family will receive a proper house.
Some of the Awards I could pick from Yesterday Awards Sports Star of the Year Ludanda Dumke (Rugby)
The Centane born star walked away with VW Polo Vivo. She also bagged SportsWomen of the Year
Ntinga Ntakandini pic.twitter.com/l1bIYS7C2s
— Zukiswa Tshaka (@ZukiswaTshaka1) August 20, 2022
“I wanna thank God for bringing you guys to this, it’s a very huge thing, l can’t explain it in words but l hope in the future l will be able to talk and say how l really feel. At the moment, it’s something l can’t explain at all, it’s very emotional,” says Lusanda.
This family has lived in an informal dwelling in Mdantsane since 2009. The news of getting a new home has come as a huge surprise. Lusanda’s sister, Nwabisa Dumke, says she can’t believe that they will be moving.
“We thank everyone who contributed to this intervention and everyone who made this possible, l have no words to explain my feeling right now but God bless you all, thank you,” says Nwabisa.
Lusanda’s dilemma over the car and her family’s plight also put the spotlight on unequal pay for male and female national sports stars.
The Deputy Mayor of the Buffalo City Metro, Princess Faku, says the city is focussing more on sports development.
“What is important is for her to keep the car because she’d need to go up and down in the City or go to family or go to sports fraternities. Buffalo City has now a new directorate that specifically focusses on sport, which previously was not, so we have taken an initiative as Council to say that there must be more budgets that is given to that directorate. The Metro is serious about making sure that sports development is taken care of. We’ve been assisting a lot of sports stars in the metro,” says Faku.
The Dumke family will soon move into their new house, which is still in Mdantsane.
