Famous South African soccer giant Marks "Go man Go" Maponyane was on cloud nine when he was honoured by the Calvary Christian Church at Lwamondo on Sunday.

Maponyane has been honoured for his contribution to the development of soccer in the country. This comes after Maponyane could not make it to receive his award during the Calvary Honorary Awards ceremony in February.

In his heyday, Maponyane played for Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, making himself one of the best, most skilful soccer players ever produced in the country. He is currently a sports presenter with SABC TV, a motivational speaker and runs a community development company, Marks Maponyane & Associates.

The founder of the Calvary Christian Church, Apostle Azwidohwi Masakona, explains why the function was important: "As a church, we have taken a stand to recognize people who have done well for the community. We do this in spite of whether a person is a Christian or not. As long as you are a human being who has been created by God. Success without appreciation backfires and we decided to encourage our people to work hard for the communities they serve."

Masakona continued: "Marks Maponyane has made a mark in the soccer industry and we cannot just relax and watch as if we do not see what he has done. We think it is best to recognize people like Maponyane while they still live, instead of praising them when they are no longer breathing. Other people have been winning and they lacked words of encouragement, while others could be winners because of the words we encourage them with. As a church, we will never stop this vision because we have been instructed by God to contribute to community development."

Provincial police commissioner Calvin Sengani handed over a special trophy to Maponyane in the fully packed church while ululations and dancing by the guests were the order of the day.

The highly excited Maponyane said: "I am humbled and honoured to have been bestowed this distinguished award by the church. I know I have done so much in soccer, but I never thought the church would recognize me. I now look back with pride because I used my chance in life profitably. Thank you, Calvary Christian Church, a million times."

Another famous soccer legend, Jerry "Legs of Thunder" Skhosana, will also receive a special award from the church in February next year.