The Wits Football Club welcomes the new face of the team, Tefu Mashamaite.
The Wits University Football club has welcomed soccer star, Tefu Mashamaite, as the team’s ambassador on Wednesday, February 6, 2019.
The former Kaizer Chiefs skipper will be the face of the team and work to attract sponsors to the club.
“We chose him because he is the closest Wits product that we know. He was a student here back in 2002 and stayed in Esselen (residence) and can relate to the challenges the boys face as he was previously financially excluded from Wits,” said the Wits Football Sports Officer, Montsho Matlala.
Matlala added that the team was looking for an ambassador with a proven academic track record to confront “the stigma that footballers are not educated,” said Matlala. Mashamaite holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and Politics from Wits which he completed in 2006.
The new ambassador who is currently playing for Baberwa FC in the ABC Motsepe league has a long list of accomplishments in football. The thirty-four-year-old previously captained both Bidvest Wits and Chiefs and also played for national side, Bafana Bafana. The defender also spent some time in Sweden playing for BK Hecken.
The 34-year old hopes that his appointment as ambassador for the team will encourage young players to expand their horizons. “I want to make sure that students focus on their talents as well. It is important for them to know that you can play sports and still excel in your academics,” he said.
Wits FC captain, Tshireletso Motsogi, told Wits Vuvuzela that as a former Bidvest Wits player and student, Mashamaite understands the values of the team. “Him being here will have an impact on the players in showing them that it is possible to obtain a degree while also playing football,” Motsogi said.
Mashamaite has the option to play for Wits FC should he wish, but for now, he says he will solely be focusing on his duties as an ambassador.
