As part of their Valentine’s day pledge of sharing this internationally recognized day of love with various persons, who due to social reasons are unable to be apart of the warm emotion and love which emanates on this day, a group of players visited the Usindiso Place of Shelter located in the Johannesburg CBD, which takes care of abused women and their children in addition Usindiso also takes in abandoned children.

The Amakhosi sent eight players to the Usindiso shelter while another two groups of Chiefs players visited schools and other institutions in Soweto.

The Amakhosi were warmly received at the Usindiso home as players handed out roses to the residents of the shelter. As they came up onto stage to receive their roses a number of the women were overcome by the affection displayed to them. A lady identified as Nelly, who has been living at the Usindiso shelter for the past few months, said, “It has been a long time since any one did anything for on Valentine’s day, receiving roses from David Mathebula has made up for all the bad Valentines days I have had in my life”.

Michael Mngandi of the Usindiso shelter was equally thankful to Chiefs for paying the home a visit, Mngandi said, “by visiting us Chiefs have made this day all the more special for the mothers and their children. Many of these ladies had never received roses in their life and I do not think that some of the chaps who work here have ever been given a rose, I think they also enjoyed collecting a rose today”.

Thulani Thuso of JAKE Productions, who helped co-ordinate the visit by the Chiefs players, was very appreciative of the fact that The Amakhosi took time out to visit Usindiso.

Thuso added, “I live nearby to this Shelter and I often visit here and help out, this is the first time in all my months coming fear have I seen the sadness lift out of the eyes of the ladies here. Today their tears have been turned into smiles and laughter; I am delighted that Chiefs have been able to turn around the emotion of the people living at Usindiso.”

Chiefs striker Rotson Kilambe who was one of the players, who visited the Usindiso shelter on Wednesday, said of the visit to the home “talking to so many of the women who are living at the shelter. One gets to here many tales of sadness as their lives have been filled with abusive relationships, coming here and being able to just see them smile has made my day. I think we are never really in touch with the kind of problems people undergo; coming to this place as really opened my eyes to the mental and physical damage a person who is abused by some one who is supposed to love them goes through.”

The players rounded off their visit to the Usindiso home by handing out gifts to the kids who were on hand to meet them on Wednesday; the Chiefs branded Vuvuzela’s seemed to be the most popular of the gifts handed out to them. As The Amakhosi entourage pulled off and headed back to Naturena they did so with a cacophony of Vuvuzela’s seeing them on their way.