2 minute read
Achieving his academic goal
TWENTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD RENALDO LEANER, who hails from Elsies River, has had to keep his wits about him to ensure that he did not become another statistic of youth succumbing to the pressures of his surroundings. “Growing up, I was naughty and would chill with my friends and smoke but I was never part of any gang. I distanced myself from anything that I felt was not good and my parents were also very strict.
“Most of the time, it’s difficult when people ask me whether I am really from Elsies River,” he says. “It’s not easy; there’s a lot of gangsterism. I remember times when I could not go to training because shootings were taking place in my area.”
Leaner resisted negative peer pressure by finding refuge in football, following in the footsteps of many of South Africa’s greatest footballers who grew up in similar Cape Flats neighbourhoods. He says that their achievements showed that diamonds can be found, polished and made to shine even in the toughest, most dangerous fields.
“The football bug bit me at a young age and the funny thing is that in my street, I was the only one with a ball. Football gave me hope and a chance to make things better for me and my family. It’s kept me busy and it still does.
“My parents have also played their part and I am grateful to them because they truly spoilt me rotten,” adds the soft-spoken goalkeeper.
Since he joined local clubs Central AFC and Matroosfontein, he says, many people from his area now look up to him.
Explaining why he chose to enrol at UWC, he says: “In my family, no one had a degree and I told myself I wanted to do that for them. I also saw a lot of footballers who played at the highest level return to nothing after they retired, so studying was my plan B. I could have focused on my soccer career but I wanted to secure my future and having a degree did that for me.”
During his studies at UWC, his time was carefully managed between studying, playing for Ajax Cape Town, with whom he travelled a lot, and playing for the national team.
“It truly was a collective effort between my coaches at Ajax, UWC Football and myself. I remember going to Holland with Ajax in my second year, getting home, then leaving again for Taiwan right away. It was hard, especially trying to keep up with my exams and assignments. At one point, I wanted to quit football to focus on my studies,” says Leaner.
Hard work and determination helped him get through and graduate with a Bachelor of Education (BEd) in Mathematics and Science. For now, Leaner is focused on his sporting career, having recently signed a professional contract with the GladAfrica Championship title-chasers.
