11 November 2021 – The Bafana Bafana Class of 96 today announced a series of celebratory events to commemorate the 25th anniversary of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) triumph in 1996.

The occasion, held at the Hyatt House in Sandon, was also enhanced by the partnership with Shoes of Wisdom (SOW), a JL Moshoeu Foundation in honour of the late football maestro and hero, John Moshoeu.

The Foundation will become the first recipient of the programme.

The event was attended by, among others, Neil Tovey, captain of the 1990 AFCON winning squad, Ayanda Kubheka, co-founder and executive director at Shoes Of Wisdom, and Bhudda Mathathe, President of SAMLFA (The South African Masters and Legends Football Association).

“In this environment we must strive to remind South Africans of the spirit that drives one to achieve the impossible on the field and in your personal life, our celebration is less about us but how we pass on the baton and go back to our communities and do good as “Shoes” did while he was alive. We also commit our unwavering support for the current team and wish them all the success in the upcoming crucial matches this week. They started very well and are ever so close to achieving the objective,” said Tovey.

“The next five days will be very crucial for South African football, in particular Bafana Bafana, and what we need to do is continue with the positive results in the home match against Zimbabwe and the Ghana fixture will take care of itself. Let’s focus on one target at a time.” 

“Since 2013 when the late Shoes Moshoeu and I founded Shoes Of Wisdom: A JL Shoes Moshoeu Foundation, we have enrolled in our program for boy child from disadvantaged schools and communities in Gauteng and the Limpopo Province. During those years the Mo-Shoes-4-U campaign, which is an initiative by Shoes Of Wisdom, was first launched with the aim of collecting and donating pairs of shoes to children. Today, we launch the Mo-Shoes-4-U campaign with an extended objective in mind of honoring the legacy John “Shoes” Moshoeu, that being the legacy of knowledge and goodwill. The initiative describes his character trait of a gracious giver and an avid reader in adding to the amazing professional that he was, with the campaign commencing on the 9th of November, ending on the 21st April. A message that we hope will also inspire players who are still active to look around their communities and see how they can be of help” said Ayanda Kubheka.

“Our mission is to heed the call of mentoring and coaching boys in South Africa to be game changers and distinguished future leaders and to further promote a gender based violence-free society through the partnerships with stakeholders like the Class Of 96 whom Shoes was a member,” she said.

It was also announced today that the Class Of 96 Legends Golf Day, to be captained by avid golfer Neil Tovey, will be played at the Houghton Golf Club on Friday, 4th February 2022.

The occasion will see legends play golf with the aim of raising money for charity, including SOW.

The golf day packages will go on sale on the 1st December 2021 on www.classof96.co.za

Interested corporations and individuals can register their interest on our website so as to purchase the packages when they are released.

More events will be announced in the coming weeks for fans regarding the 3rd of February 2022 aligned to COVID regulations.

“As SAFA, we take pride in this initiative by our legends because it creates an avenue and belief that a full life begins after a player hangs up his or her boots. We would like to encourage other generations of players, including the new Bafana Bafana squad, to be great citizens of our beloved country and create inspirational stories on and off the field,” said the SAFA President. 

“South Africa’s role in demonstrating how football can continue to attend to societal needs whilst providing entertainment in this continent can slowly have a positive effect on future players as active citizens”.

Follow us on our website and social media channels as they celebrate this milestone and subscribe to receive updates on their campaigns.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PRESS ONLY:

Matlhomola Morake

+27827444919

Email: media@classof96.co.za

Email: mmorake@gmail.com

www.classof96.co.za

@bafanalegends on all social media

Shoes of Wisdom: A JL Shoes Moshoeu Foundation

Ayanda Kubheka

Email: director@shoesmoshoeu.org

Info: sow@shoesmoshoeu.org

Website: www.shoesmoshoeu.org