The president of Mamelodi Sundowns football club‚ Patrice Motsepe‚ has urged South Africans to do something with the conditions that poor people face across the land.

“Many of our people have no jobs. Many of our people go to bed at night without food. Many of our young children go to high school‚ perform very well but have no money to go to university. Many of our people cannot get the good medical treatment they need. All of us must try in our very humble and small way [to help] because none of us can fix all the problems‚” he said.

Speaking in the Regina Mondi church in Soweto‚ Motsepe also called for parents to encourage their children to go to church‚ to help mould their character on the road to becoming adults.

The Motsepe Foundation on Tuesday donated more than R8.5-million to different schools and churches in Soweto. The event was attended by various church members and pupils from the schools benefiting from the initiative.

There were also soccer legends such as Kaizer Chiefs’ Nelson “Teenage” Dladla‚ Sundowns’ Esrom Nyandoro‚ Surprise Moriri‚ Daniel “Mambush” Mudau‚ Godfrey Sapula and Orlando Pirates’ Johnny “Black Sunday” Masegela.

Motsepe used the opportunity to tell about how his relationship with church began. “We must encourage our children to go to church. I remember when I was a young boy‚ I did not always want to go to church because I thought there were other things that were more exciting outside church.

“I went to a Catholic school which was very far from home. They would wake us up every day in the morning and we would be forced to go to church. At night‚ every day‚ before we slept we would also be forced to go to church. Those were probably the best 10 years of my life. When you are young and you recognise the importance of Jesus Christ‚ God and prayer‚ even if when we get off the line‚ as we always do‚ that experience [of going to church] stays with us forever‚” Motsepe said.

“The Motsepe family is what it is and I am what I am because of the love and the support of many people in this country. That is why there is a huge obligation on me‚ in a very humble way‚ to try and give back‚” he said.