The website, www.thandanintshumayelo.co.za, has information about where it all started for the former Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United midfielder, but there’s a lot more to it than just football. Ntshumayelo wants to use the website to give back to communities through motivational talks and charity work.
Most importantly, Ntshumayelo wants to raise awareness of the dangers of substance abuse, as well as having the wrong friends in life.
Ntshumayelo had been handed a four-year ban from football in September 2016 after testing positive for cocaine during a routine drug test conducted after an Absa Premiership match towards the end of the 2015/16 season.
After serving two years of the ban, Ntshumayelo was granted amnesty and is free to play again.
Ntshumayelo was recently invited to Durban by the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU Durban) to share his experiences with the youth in KwaZulu-Natal. He’s also been to Soweto to talk to the youth in the township.
The website will also give Ntshumayelo’s followers an opportunity to interact with him.
“When I was banned, I was thinking about a lot of positive things that I can do so that I can have a platform to change things positively. I wanted to have a website, so that one day when I am not around my kid can see the positive things that I did. Maybe my story can save peoples' lives,” Nthumayelo, who has been training with Bidvest Wits, tells snl24.com/kickoff.
“I am going to talk about this for the rest of my life. No one can tell my story better than me. So it’s good to have my own platform, where people can also interact with me. I am a footballer and obviously there is a lot of things I will put about my career as time goes on, but mostly I will be using it to where I’ll be talking and making people aware of drugs – things like motivational talks, not only for people who play football but others as well.
“I have a team of people who are helping me. These are people who I was talking to during my ban, when I had no hope. Mostly I have been talking to Katlego Modiba and Lesego, and I was trying to see how I can turn my life around.”
Ntshumayelo also has a YouTube page where he tells his story.