Thokozani Mhlanga loves sports.
As a student, he ensured African Christian College was represented at all sporting activities among local colleges. He pushed students to balance their time to attend training sessions and served as a player coach. He used his position of influence as student body president to improve support of recreational activities. He even preached about sports as a means of stewardship of the body.
And African Christian College’s trophy cabinet started filling!
In 2018, when Thokozani graduated and returned home to Luve, Eswatini, his involvement in sports continued. He served as manager of Luve Stars, a community soccer team designed to prevent substance abuse among young people through soccer.
Two years later, his passion for sports followed him to his new job as a Field and Development Officer with SOS Children Village.
Though it wasn’t part of his job, Thokozani saw opportunities to involve the village children in sports.
He organized netball and soccer teams for every age group, created practice schedules, and volunteered as a coach. The kids loved it! The organization noticed and offered resources for these new activities because they had tried and failed to get sports to work in the past.
Using knowledge and skills developed as a student at African Christian College, Thokozani was a standout performer at work. His extra success with sports was the icing on the cake.
So, when a new position opened in the organization, his success did not go unnoticed. In July 2022, he was happily promoted to a senior leadership position.
Thokozani was just doing what he loved: playing, coaching, and getting others involved in sports. Combining doing what he loves with purpose and intention, he created an atmosphere of growth for his college peers, children at the children’s village, and himself.