20 quickfire questions with ... Maps Maponyane

TODAY: TV presenter, actor, fashion designer, speaker, creative consultant, voice over artist, philanthropist, business entrepreneur and son of Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana legend Marks ... MAPS MAPONYANE

1. Nickname/s: Maps/Mr. Buns

2. Childhood sporting hero: Zinedine Zidane

3. Game or sporting event that you could watch on repeat: Any football!

4. Greatest sporting memory: 1999 Champions League Final - Manchester United v Bayern Munich. Probably the greatest and most dramatic final I'm footballing history and as a 9-year- old Manchester United fan, I remember absolutely losing my mind! 2-1 the final score thanks to two injury time goals by Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. A moment I will never forget!

5. Sea or river: Sea

6. Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla

7. Favourite holiday destination: Japan

8. Banana or pineapple on a pizza: Pineapple

9. What would your last meal be: My mother’s Seven Colour Sunday lunch

10. Favourite superhero and why: Batman, an ordinary citizen without special powers, that uses his resources to do good

11. If a movie was made about your life who would play you: I’d play my father

12. 3 things you would want with you on a desert island: My best friend, food and a surfboard

13. Current series addiction: Tiger King and Money Heist

14. Do you have a favourite joke: The joke behind my name

15. Best piece of advice you have ever received: There’s no such thing as impossible, it just takes longer than planned

16. Hobby: Playing golf, writing, photography

17. How does Sport for good relate to you: The opportunity to be a part of a movement that uses sport in the most powerful of ways to change the lives of children in the communities that need support and hope

18. Laureus programme that you have interacted with, and what they do: Waves for Change. I’ve been fortunate enough to have interacted with their programme and was deeply impressed by how involved they were with each of the children that were a part. Waves for Change, in Cape Town, goes beyond the surfboard and waves, it’s a holistic programme that focuses on social work, feeding, home and school visits, and homework assistance all alongside surf therapy. The impact it has is immeasurable.

19. What are you and/or your family doing over this time to ensure you keep mentally and physically healthy? I’m happily in lockdown on my own and I’m ensuring that I just keep to a consistent schedule. Making sure that I set aside some time to exercise, meditate, read, write, cook healthy meals and rest on a daily basis to keep a healthy routine.

Who is Laureus?

Laureus is a global movement that celebrates the power of sport to bring people together as a force for good. The first Patron of Laureus was Nelson Mandela. At the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards in 2000, President Mandela said: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers.”

This has become the philosophy of Laureus, the driving belief behind all they do.

Laureus combines Laureus Sport for Good, the Laureus World Sports Academy and Ambassadors Programme and the Laureus World Sports Awards to form a unique organisation that uses the inspirational power of sport as a force for good.

Laureus Sport for Good South Africa

The Laureus Sport For Good Foundation Trust South Africa is a local chapter of the Laureus Sport For Good Foundation. Launched in 2002, SA was the first regional office to be established by Laureus International.

What is the Laureus Sport For Good vision? “Using the power of sport to end violence, discrimination and disadvantage. Proving that sport can change the world”. 

The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation South Africa supports over 30 projects nationwide. Every programme supported addresses at least one of the following six social issues, which are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: 

• Health: Enhancing mental wellbeing and encouraging healthy behaviour change

• Education: Increased access to and completion of education

• Women and Girls: Promoting equality, empowerment and safety

• Employability: Developing skills and creating pathways to employment

• Inclusive Society: Creating communities which embrace ethnic, cultural and physical differences

• Peaceful Society: Resolving conflict, promoting community peace-building and creating safe spaces

For more information: https://www.laureus.co.za/