The SAFA Vhembe Association has received a financial boost of more than R80 000.

This follows the decision by the manager of Total Petroport, Modise Ramahala, to sponsor the association. The official launching of the sponsorship was done during a ceremony at the Petroport, south of Louis Trichardt, last Thursday evening.

During the ceremony, Ramahala stated that it was the policy of his company to give a portion of their profit back to the community. He appealed to the management of the association to utilise the money properly towards football development. He revealed that the sponsorship would increase from one season to the next, depending on the financial position of the business.

Ramahala stated that sponsorships played a vital role in sports development. He described football as a community-building sport that plays a major role in as far as job creation is concerned. He attributed his business’s success to the unlimited support from the local communities.

The chairperson of the SAFA Vhembe competition committee, Mr Hulisani Mabasa, defined football as a good tool to fight unemployment and poverty. He stated that the government alone could not afford to address the high rate of unemployment. He praised the management of Total for their decision to sponsor the association, despite the economic hardships that are facing the business community in the area.