“Without hockey, I’d have become nothing,” Litha Kraai says. The teen grew up in Langa, where resources are limited but spirit is not. Here, people innovate to carve opportunities to empower themselves and others – a foundation that shaped this young player’s path.
Litha first picked up a stick at five years old. In a township, hockey may seem unlikely. But this is home to Langa Hockey Club, founded in 1988 as the first black hockey club in Cape Town, where Litha’s father Collen was involved. Litha and his brother Zenani followed in those footsteps, spending their days playing until nightfall. Through every early morning and late evening, at every match, their grandmother Kholiwe Kraai stood cheering from the sidelines. She admits she didn’t always understand the game, but she knew her grandson was destined for something extraordinary.
By Grade 4, Litha’s talent was unmistakable. He received the opportunity to enrol at South African College High School (SACS), one of South Africa’s top hockey schools. There, he sharpened his skills and uncovered a natural talent for cricket as well. He’s since become the first player in the school’s history to earn 100 caps, won Boys’ Player of the Year at the inaugural Hyundai Hockey Awards, helped the Western Province U18A team win consecutive SASHOC National Week titles, and made the SA schools U18A team.
Litha’s dedication also propelled him onto the U21 SA Men’s squad that competed at the Indoor Hockey World Cup. “Everyone doubted us and we came back with a bronze medal,” he says. It was the first time South Africa had earned a medal at the event, made even more remarkable by the presence of a player so young. For Litha, he’s just getting started. Expanding beyond hockey, he was recently selected to train at the Western Province Cricket Club and join the T20 Challenge Fixture squad.
“I just want to say thank you to the people who helped me on my journey,” Litha says. From a community astroturf in Langa and its hockey club to dedicated coaches and teachers at SACS, the support systems around him have shaped his rise. But at the heart of it all is Litha’s family, the people who believed in him first, and who continue to lift him toward becoming the best in his field. When we support the passions of young people, whether in sport, music, art, or beyond, we give them the confidence and self-belief to thrive.
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