Girls’ soccer kits stolen: Sold to another club, not returned
BLOW: Hotspurs Ladies FC U10 team needs kit for tournament.
An all-girls soccer team from Mitchells Plain is pleading with an Athlone club that bought their stolen kits to return them so that they can compete in an upcoming tournament.
Yaasien Solomons, from the Hotspurs Ladies FC, says they were disappointed when they learnt their new gear, and some older ones, were stolen over the weekend.
The kits, which had not yet been branded, were donated to their Under-10 team to compete in the upcoming Rygate Cubs tournament, but were stolen in Tafelsig on Sunday.
“We are a girls-only soccer club in Rocklands and these kits were donated to us. On Sunday they were stolen out of a coach’s car that was parked in Tafelsig,” Yaasien said.
“They broke into the car and took the kits.”
Tafelsig ward councillor Washiela Harris discovered that the kits were stolen by a school laaitie who then sold it.
“I started asking around and someone came to me with information about a Grade 12 learner at a Mitchells Plain school who actually took the kits to school and tried to sell it there,” Washiela says.
“As we looked into the matter, it was found that an entire kit was sold to a club in Athlone.
“I contacted a chairperson of a local club in my ward to assist and he confirmed that the club had bought it and they planned on returning it.”
But, Yaasien says by Wednesday they had not heard from the club.
“We were informed that they would make contact with us and return it, but we have heard nothing so far and we do not have their contact details.
“We received some of the red kits, which are the older kits, that were sold at the school,” he says.
“We are very disappointed, as clubs we should be uplifting each other. As Hotspurs we are working hard to empower girls in our community and we are dealt a blow like this.
“I do not know what this laaitie told that club when he sold it but they should have known better. It was not yet branded and costs between R2 500 and R3 000. All we want is our kits back so we can go and play in the tournament,” he says.”