Michael Makeleni and the Walmer Tigers of South Africa

by Phil Johnson

There is a township in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, with a basketball team named the Walmer Tigers. The team has been playing for nearly three years. The facilities are Spartan; the basketball court is concrete. It seems like an okay court—until you look at the baskets. When you do, you say, “What the heck?” The rims are half way up the backboard, about ten-and-a-half feet high and there are no nets. There is very little backboard area above the rim—making layups a challenge. In a word, the rims are forbidding.

Michael Makeleni is the organizer. Three years ago some boys in Walmer Township asked Michael to help start a basketball team. The photos Mike sent me showed that only one end of the court was playable. The other end seemed not to exist but for the hoop. It was buried. The boys shoveled away the dirt and sand and created a pretty good full court—except for the hoops.

They started playing ball. Mike sent me movies taken with an iPhone. I did not expect prospects who had developed basketball skills, but I was surprised. “Not bad. They’ve been playing somewhere. These guys handle the ball rather well,” I remarked to myself. Subsequent clips have confirmed my initial impression. Play looks good until someone takes a shot—mainly because of those challenging rims, it seldom goes in.

We created a plan to correct the baskets. Political red tape stopped the project and the hoops remain the same. The boys don’t seem to mind as much as I do. They keep playing and, as they play more, they are shooting better in spite of hostile hoops.

Neighborhood people came to watch practice and inter-squad games, creating a lively community activity. The cost to join a basketball league and the expense of travel to games have been prohibitive. Pretty much all play is inter-squad on their court—no less fun for that.

Walmer Township is considered the poorest neighborhood in Port Elizabeth. Life there is rough. There have been several community protests recently, news coverage of which you can view on YouTube. Community resources are minimal. The houses are mostly shanties. Many homes depend on illegal hookups for electricity, some have none.

Michael drives tourists for a living. A church member, he also values his Xhosa tribal heritage with its rituals. After retiring from soccer, he devoted himself to Walmer youth. He formed and coaches youth soccer teams. People call on Michael when their homes catch fire or someone is sick or injured. He has cobbled together an Internet café. No Starbucks, it is a small concrete block building housing a few old computers on which young people and others search for jobs. The Internet service costs 1,400 Rand (about $140) a month. Nandipha, a young mother, manages the café for a small salary.

Michael’s employment is sporadic, especially sparse in the off-season. His immediate family includes his wife, Nosi, and son, Akhona. Akhona recently completed three weeks in the bush as part of a manhood ritual.

Michael picked me up at Lalibela Game Reserve in February, 2013, and drove me to the Port Elizabeth airport. During our ride, he told me of his Christian faith and his convictions about helping people and the Township. He told me about the youth in his community and that some lads had asked him to help start a basketball team. As a soccer player, building and coaching a soccer team is like falling off a log, “But, I know nothing about basketball,” he said.

Thinking I do, I said so. Well, that started the whole thing with respect to me. In name, anyway, I am currently considered the coach or maybe the general manager of the Walmer Tigers. As you can imagine, leadership for a team in South Africa from as far away as Minnesota is weak. Weak, but it persists, as does the connection with Michael, who writes me several times a week.

Recently one of his boys was shot in the arm; Mike was called to his aid. The hospital refused to treat the young man because he had no insurance and no money to pay for medical care. It is really tough for young people and their families in Walmer Township, and a good thing Michael is on location.

I hope the boys continue to have fun playing basketball and that we can make the Walmer Tigers a continuing success. If you would like to see photos and short movies and know more about Walmer Township and the Walmer Tigers, write me at philj2@mac.com.

Michael sends this message: “The teams say ‘kujani namhlanje’ means ‘how are you today,’ and ‘ube nemini emnandi inkosi inisikelele ngawo onke amaxesha,’ means ‘have nice day God bless all times.’”