There were tears of joy when Paralympic champion Lucas Sithole was showered with a car before he left for France to participate at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. Sithole, who hails from Newcastle in KwaZulu Natal, jetted off to Paris yesterday to represent Mzansi in tennis,where he has been excelling.

BEFITTING SEND OFF

On Monday, an NPO, the Nyatee Foundation, which Sithole says has been looking after him, hosted a sendoff event for the wheelchair bound tennis star at the Southern Sun Hotel in Sandton. The MC was SABC Sport Presenter Vusiwe Ngcobo. Sithole was presented with a brand-new wheelchair-friendly passenger van to cater for his needs. The event was sponsored by an NPO called Nyatee Foundation, which looks after people living with a disability.

EXCITEMENT

The event saw Sithole’s mother Jabulile breaking down in excitement over the car. Sithole said he has never thought that one day a gala dinner would be held in such an upmarket place in Sandton for him. "What makes this moment very special to me is that I have my whole family with me here. It is very special to me to have my family see me off to the Paralympic games. The fact that I have about 50 people who drove all the way from KZN just to wish me luck means a lot to me," he said. Sithole promised to come back home with a gold medal from the games. "This is going to be very special this time around because I am no longer walking alone on this journey since I have the Nyatee Foundation looking after me," he said. The Nyatee Foundation further pledged to cover all the travelling accommodation expenses for Sithole.