27 Oct 2015

When the rest of the youth from the sleepy, sandy and remote village of Struizendam let the predicament of their village decide their future, Kaone van der Westhuizen stood out and worked hard for what has now made him a house-hold name in the country’s football fraternity.

Born 21-years-ago, van der Westhuizen has always dreamed of being a successful and professional football player.

He explains that he has long realised his talent in football while at primary school. He didn’t listen to those who said  it’s a dream far-fetched because of his location. He just decided to work hard in what he believed was his future.

The nimbly left footed defender said his career began to take shape after going for trials at Townships Rollers Football Club. 

“I got signed and it was one of the happiest days in my life. I knew all the hard work I had been putting in was starting to pay off,” he said.

The Rollers left back explained that he was loaned to Letlapeng FC for the 2014/15 season, and that it was a great learning curve for him.

He also highlighted that playing for the national under-23 team played an important role in his learning experience.

“I gained a lot of experience from playing for both Letlapeng and the national under-23 and have grown professionally in the field,” he said.

Van der Westhuizen has vowed to work hard until he reaches his ultimate goal which is to be recognised internationally as a star football player.

 “I believe in hard work, discipline and determination. I believe that this is just the start of my career, and I am going to make waves in this fraternity,” said a confident van der Westhuizen.

He further added that although he has a lot of learning to do, he was confident of success because of the support he was getting from the club. 

“I have always dreamed of being a professional soccer player and this is my break and I believe I will only go further from now,” he says.

Van der Westhuizen explains that having grown up in Struizendam, there were and still are no opportunities for most youth.

He asserts that one has to dream big and work hard to achieve that dream. 

“Our area is deep in southern Kalahari and there are not many opportunities for the youth to unleash their talent. There is not even a tarred road which makes it even more difficult to reach other places and get developments to the village,” he said.

The plight of his village however did not deter him from realising his dream, and urges the youth to take charge of their lives and to grab opportunities that present themselves.

“I have realised that a lot of my fellow mates let their background determine how far they could go in life. I urge them to be determined and dream to graduate from the plight of poverty,” van der Westhuizen concludes, adding that there was a lot of unpolished talent in the Kgalagadi. Ends