La Masia to showcase Westbury as a beacon of hope against Mamelodi Sundowns

La Masia comes from a gangsterism and violent crime-ridden area of Westbury, and the club’s head coach and Orlando Pirates legend Daine Klate is hoping tomorrow’s game will showcase that there’s more to this small Johannesburg township than the negative side of it.

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"Community club, I followed this club when it started, they were still playing in the Steven Pienaar tournament back in the day. So, obviously the chairman Mr Nasir Baker has come in and has really invested into this club and it's amazing to see how the club has gone through from the bottom tiers to the first division where we are now at the moment,” Klate said.

“But yeah, a beacon of hope, you know what's happening in the community where this club stems from it's really, really sad to see. It's really sad to see that even the Pienaar soccer tournament has stopped because of this type of gangsterism that's happening. So, tomorrow at 7o'clock maybe the whole of Westbury, Waverly and Eldorado Park will probably come to a standstill and obviously watch the game with the hope that nothing bad happens between those two, three hours."

Westbury, home to Bafana Bafana legend Steven Pienaar and Kaizer Chiefs captain Keagan Dolly, has endured decades of gangsterism and killings and nationally they became the centre of focus last year.

Klate is hoping that this is also a game that can bring Westbury and surrounding communities, closer together.

"And that's what it's all about for those two, three hours that the match will be on TV at Dobsonville at the stadium. You know, there's many people who can come and support the team and many people can watch the team from their homes and hopefully, there's no sort of gun fighting for two hours,” Klate added.

“I think that will be a milestone in those areas. I have a fantastic understanding of what this means for the community. I think the fact that the team is up against Mamelodi Sundowns, the name comes up next to Mamelodi Sundowns is a big achievement in itself."