‘My mother taught me that I must always try and improve on my last performance; I must never think that I am better than other people; and I must stay positive at all times...”

These are the words of wisdom from KwaZulu-Natal’s rising sports star, 11-year-old Maswazi Shabalala. While most of us dream of having a child who gets good grades and excels in sport, this dream is a reality for Maswazi’s parents, as their son is an all-round achiever, both in and out of school. Maswazi, who is in Grade 6 at Durban Preparatory High School (DPHS), plays hockey, tennis, cricket, soccer, rugby, athletics, chess, golf, swimming, cross country… and he sings in the choir!

For him, it is not just about participating in extra mural activities at school. Maswazi plays for top teams at school, club and provincial levels as well. His recent awards include, best under-11 athlete, the 80m, 100m, 800m, and 1200m races and the long jump. Maswazi is also an excellent swimmer and says he performs well when doing the butterfly and backstrokes. Maswazi was born in Durban and he lives with his parents and two sisters in the upmarket surburb of Westville in Durban.

It was at St Henry’s Marists Brothers College where this young star started his sporting life. He took it to even greater heights when he transferred to DPHS as the school puts great emphasis on sports participations for its learners.

His daily diet consists of porridge in the morning, and sandwiches, juice, fruit and yoghurt for school. “If I get tuck-shop money, I buy chocolate!” His mother also makes sure his energy is kept on the up by giving him the right dose of energy drinks and vitamin water .