COMETSA turns 28 years old on the 1st of August 2025. What began in the heart of Hillbrow as a weekend football club for youth has grown into a dynamic organisation that shapes careers, builds leaders, and bridges cultures. This reflection captures the journey of COMETSA from a grassroots initiative to a recognised human capital and leadership development company, with roots that run deep in both South African and German communities.

Cometsa’s Journey since the 1st of August 1997

Celebrating 28 Years of COMETSA

The 1st of August 2025 on Thursday is the 28th anniversary of COMETSA. Our organization was established on the 1st of August 1997 in Johannesburg as a development football club. The organization has since developed and grown into a fully-fledged human capital, management and leadership development consulting company, with some diversification into sourcing and trading services in select sectors.

The Early Days in Hillbrow

Although the initial objective was to keep the youth of the Hillbrow flatland busy, I also realized the opportunity to use football to mobilize the youth, and expose them to personal development programs. Such programs included youth leadership, entrepreneurship and the role of education in bettering themselves. The majority of them were high school students and some were already at the university. I remember that we spent twenty one weekends taking them through The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell. To be honest, I am not sure how many of them understood some of the concepts shared in the book. However, I am proud that their staying power was tested and won the test.

Beyond Football – Exposure to Culture and Learning

If they were not playing football, they were involved in other activities that had nothing to do with football. For example, we visited Goethe Institute, the German Culture and Language Centre, outside Zoo Lake, and spent some hours in the library there, and sometimes attended educational movies and conversations, and other events. On some weekends the boys visited the Johannesburg Zoos and fed the animals.

We had great relationship with the Italian society in South Africa. We would visit Dante Alighieri Italian Institute in Houghton, Johannesburg, and receive some presentations from the professionals there. Whenever the cultural attaché of the Italian Embassy would host some visiting Italian artists from Italy, the Italian Cultural Society of South Africa would give our organization tickets to attend the shows at Wits University’s Great Hall. The boys would invite their family members and friends to attend the events with us.

Support from Local Schools and Colleges

One of the great partnerships were with the following schools and colleges in Johannesburg: Barnato Park Primary School, German International School of Johannesburg, the SA German Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Commercial Advancement Training Scheme (CATS), and Parktown College Campus of Central Johannesburg College. Each of these institutions contributed in kind to our youth development programs.

Barnato Park Primary School was the first school to offer their sport grounds to us to use as our training grounds. This was a major contribution as it also changed the outlook of the Hillbrow flatlands as more young people joined our football club. Of course, some did not stay when they discovered that we were more than just playing football. We were a learning and development organization from the beginning.

Similarly, Parktown Campus offered us their sport field for our training and games for our junior teams. They also offered their classrooms to us for our Saturday programs, before our actual training. So, we instituted dual programs on weekend. The boys would start with the class at 07h00 until 09h00, and then join on the field soccer training until 11h00. This was a tough routine but they enjoyed it very much. They were physically and mentally fit.

German School Facilities and Career Opportunities

The grounds of the German International School of Johannesburg, in short, Deutsche Schule, were reserved for our prestigious home games. The facilities included change rooms, showers, warm-up grounds, indoor arena, and very well maintained and equipped football ground.

The CATS became one of the colleges that would invite our high school graduates for interviews to join their Vocational Education Program that followed the famous German dual-training, that is, a combination of theory and practical learning on the job, on full stipend for two years, and graduate with Certificate in Business Administration, recognized in both South Africa and Germany.

Introducing German Language and Career Support

Once we realized that the CATS was giving our high school student players the opportunity to start real careers, we introduced German language classes on weekends. We taught them what is called DaF, that is Deutsch als Fremdsprache (German as a Foreign Language), mostly spoken part of it. There is a number of our student players who trained at German companies, and were employed there. Some have since studied further and moved on to other companies in senior positions.

Annual Reflections and Celebration Day

So, the 1st of August became our annual day of reflections, celebrations and remembrance of our founding. We come together to enjoy meals, friendships, music, and just togetherness. Unfortunately, since COVID-19 we have not kept to this tradition. But as we approach our 30th anniversary in 2027, we would like to mobilize and if possible coordinate reunions with some of our founding members. This article is the beginning of such mobilization and serves as a reminder of the journey we have travelled.

We have since established COMETSA Friends & Supporters Club NPO, www.CometsaMember.Com, as a home of anyone who identifies with our work, history and objectives to take up membership. As mentioned, we are now a fully-fledged company with more diverse business interests. We value this growth and we will keep on growing.

Dual Structure for Sustainability

We have split our organization into commercial, that is, for profit, represented by COMETSA GoC International (Pty) Ltd , and not for profit, represented by COMETSA Development Agencies. This model presents great growth opportunities for us, and will safeguard our legacy.

Inspired by Village Football and a Personal Journey

The formation of COMETSA was inspired by many events associated with my life. As I grew up at Moripane village, outside Jane Furse, in Sekhukhune District, Limpopo Province, I was influenced by the culture of village football. In my teens I established kiddies football club called Mosehleng Shinning Stars FC. It mobilized my peers and as a result we grew together and very close to each other as village boys. But the forerunner to this initiative was the local youth club established by the late Barnard “Ben” Mapota, called Kaizer Chiefs, of course inspired by the real “aMakhozi a Mahle”, the Phefeni Boys of Kaizer Motaung. I was part of that club, before I established Mosehleng Shinning Stars.

Education, Setbacks, and Rediscovery

Of course as I grew up I had to join Moripane Scientists FC where my uncles were prominent as football players and administrators. They instilled football administration skills in me, and of course the love for the game. At the college, Boaparankwe College, I continued to play the game, although I became aware of the importance of education and prioritized it.

On arriving at the University of the Witwatersrand, I was overcome by the excitement of becoming a professional footballer, to the extent that I ignored my studies, something that I still regret today. I joined Wits University FC and tried to balance both studies and education, to full failure. Hence, I could not complete my degree studies there and had to move my studies to the University of South Africa (UNISA) after wasting two full years at Wits University.

I then moved to join the Southern African German Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Commercial Advancement Training Scheme (CATS). I became aware of the impossibility of becoming a professional footballer, pursuing education and making a career. I stopped playing football and focused on my vocational education. The CATS was the second chance in my life, and used it to the fullest. It opened doors for me, including the scholarship from Carl Duisberg Gesellschaft e.V. that took me to Germany for further development.

Returning to Football Roots in Germany

I reconnected with my football in Germany. I guess, you cannot be in Germany as a footballer and not play the game. They are a football crazy nation. But I confined my game to amateur football clubs. I played for SC Goldstein in Frankfurt am Main. My first football club in Johannesburg, 1.FC COMETSA Goldstones 1997, is named after SC Goldstein Frankfurt.

Cross-Cultural Exchange and Future Plans

I continued to be in touch with the German society in both South Africa and Germany. This is covered in detail in my book, Holistic CAREER Development COACHING and MENTORSHIP Perspective! The Insights from my Personal and Professional Development Journey! published by Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook editions.

We developed strong bond with the community of Gehlert in the federal state of Rheinlandpfalz in Germany. Their village sports club, SV Gehlert, www.sv-gehlert.de, is our partner organization, even though we owe each other a lot in the form of exchange, something that we declared that it should ultimately take place, irrespective of how long it might take. I believe that we were ahead of our times then. But now is the time to reconsider those ideas and plans. We will certainly handover this ideal to COMETSA Development Agencies to pursue.

Closing Words – The MIND! The JOURNEY! The DESTINY!

As we celebrate our 28th anniversary on the 1st of August 2025, we say The MIND! The JOURNEY! The DESTINY! We apply our MIND to the JOURNEY that takes us to our DESTINY! We honour our Motto: HERITAGE to HERITAGE!