Called: Siyanda Landzela – making disciples among the fatherless

Fatherlessness is rampant in the Cape Town suburbs, with roots in the colonial era when many Xhosa fathers left their wives and children to work in the mines. Though those days are gone, absentee fathers have become a generational trend.

My name is Siyanda Landzela. I am Xhosa by tribe from Cape Town, South Africa. I work with a ministry called Ambassadors Football. We partner with organizations and ministries in Cape Town, and we use football to address the issue of fatherlessness in the slums. The kids I work with are both Xhosa and Coloureds. Among the Coloureds, though the fathers are physically present, their sons have no emotional connections to them.

I didn’t know my father and I always longed for him. Being raised by a single mom affected me, but as a teenager, I found football. My coach was sometimes late to practice. I wanted to be a leader so I began to lead the team on the days he was late. My coach saw it and affirmed me. He told me he saw “a leader,” “a coach,” and “someone who can change a generation.” I was 15 years old and this was in 2005. I tried to pursue education but didn’t succeed much. In 2017, I reconnected with my coach, and he recommended me for a faith-based leadership school called East Mountain. They taught us about God, leadership, and finding our identity in him. I met many mentors and fathers. I had a lot of emotional wounds, but I gained some clarity there.

In 2021, my father-figure coach recommended me for an international leadership school where I learned about sports ministry and discipleship. At that conference, God called me to address fatherlessness through football. I joined Ambassadors Football in 2022 and I was trained to coach boys. Now, I coach a team called “The Future Stars.”

The team compromises both black and coloured children from two communities: Capricorn which is predominantly Xhosa, and Overcome which is predominantly Coloured. In between these communities is the field where we train. Two vices accompanying fatherlessness are gangs and violence. There is a loss of identity and anger, and shootouts often occur between contesting sides. Sometimes training there is risky. We have U-12, U-14, and U-18 divisions in Future Stars, and some older boys above 18. They are at the risk of joining gangs at that age, but we turn them to the Lord. We practice on Mondays and Fridays, and on Wednesdays, we have Discovery Bible Study (DBS) and mentorship.

We start football teams with one to five guys. The players from the same community bring their younger brothers and friends. We also scout boys playing on the streets. I currently work with 56 boys across three teams. As a coach, I am a father-figure to the boys. Coaching allows me to affect their lives physically and emotionally. I affirm, correct, and guide them. We have come to understand the role of a father and how we can practice that on the field. A father’s key role is to provide security for his kids. And safety and security are not only physical but emotional.

Five of the boys we trained and discipled from a young age are now coaches with Ambassadors Football. I want to see the generational curse of fatherlessness broken.  I pray to see gang fights displaced by brotherly love. I hope to see families made whole.

Please pray for:

• God’s protection over Siyanda and his team.
• The Lord’s work of healing and transformation in the hearts of the boys Siyanda is coaching.
• The Lord to raise godly father figures for the world’s fatherless children.