Rio de Janeiro - Luvo Manyonga already knows what he is doing with his bonus for winning South Africa's sixth medal of the Rio Olympics.
“I'm getting off that plane, and I am buying my mom a house,” he said of the R200 000 bonus he will receive from Sascoc.
“She deserves it, because of everything that she has done for me,” he explained.
By Sunday he still hadn't spoken to her yet, but he knew that she was proud of him.
“She's an old lady, you know. So she doesn't do this technology thing. But I know that she is home and she is happy,” he said.
Manyonga cut a tired figure, and admitted that he had yet to put his head down having claimed a dream silver in the mens long-jump.
“Sleep? What is that, bru? I didn't even try. I come here to my first Olympic Games and they give me a silver medal,” he chuckled.
Manyonga was joined by Minister of Sport Fikile Mbalula, and Sascoc's supremos Tubby Reddy and Gideon Sam.
“Mbekweni in Paarl will never be the same again. They have a great example of what you can do,” Mbalula exclaimed.
“This tells us that funding must continue for these athletes. How many Luvo Manyongas are still out there?
Sam, who is credited with saving Manyonga from the brink, smiled proudly when Manyonga pointed at him and said, “that man gave me another chance. He saved my life.”
Manyonga, despite youthful talent, was banned for two years after failing a doping test, when he was addicted to Tik in 2012. That ban was later reduced to 18 months, and Sam visited him personally in Mbekweni, to start the long process back to the top.
Manyonga flies home on Monday and says he has one more surprised planned. That is for his five year-old son, Lindokuhle.
“I have something amazing for him. But I can't tell you that. No one knows, and they won't know. But it is very special,” he winked.
Independent Media