Alex chess wiz in line for R250 000 charity win
ALEXANDRA – Alex's chess wiz poised to win LeadSA's R250 000 charity prize
Alex’s own chess maestro, Jonathan Maliboho, recently graced the stage at the second annual LeadSA Changemakers Conference in Cape Town on the weekend of 19 August.
This after he won this year’s leg of the monthly Gauteng provincial LeadSA’s Adult Heroes category competition together with Joburg resident Franck Leya who snatched the youth category.
The contest, sponsored by the Dischem Foundation, recognises citizens who make a positive and outstanding difference in their communities and inspire others to do the same. The two now stand to win or share R250 000 which will be donated to charities of their choice.
Maliboho got the nod for his Hlalefang (Be clever) Chess Club he founded in Alexandra. The club exposes and helps children and youth to use chess as a game to stimulate their mental capacity. The club is now part of non-profit organisation Donate a Piece, which uses chess for developmental purposes at schools across the country.
Leya was recognised for his youth activism through a group called A Dollar and a Dream which motivates and encourages youth in safe houses to rise above despair and make a success of their lives. They share stories and play games which help the youth to re-imagine their desired futures.
LeadSA founder, Terry Volkwyn, said they formed the organisation in 2012 with a vision and purpose to recognise and celebrate the unsung heroes in communities. “The acts of these heroes and those before them have a continuous and positive ripple effect on the country.
“We, more than ever, need to focus on the good in the world, [and] seek out and amplify the people who stand up and make a difference. We need to disrupt poverty, war and crime with ripples upon ripples of good.”
