“James Mayinga reflects on the second chance he found at VUT, his football and broadcasting career, and his commitment to helping young people.”
05 November 2026 | Story by: Qhawekazi Memani | Seswantšho: E filwe
Metsotso e 4 nako ya go bala.
When Mr James Mayinga arrived at the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) in 1999, he knew he needed to approach his studies differently. Previous academic setbacks had disappointed his parents, and their decision to support another attempt at higher education came with expectations he was determined to meet.
Football remained his ambition, but talent alone would not secure his future. At VUT, where he enrolled for a National Diploma in Sports Management, he began building the discipline that would support his career on the field and beyond it.
“My parents gave me another chance. VUT gave me an opportunity. But I had to make the decision to change.”
That decision followed several difficult years. Growing up in Thulamahashe in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, Mayinga had been surrounded by football. His grandfather owned a club, and the game was part of family life.
In August 1995, a serious jaw injury during school football interrupted both his education and his sporting ambitions. He spent approximately eight months on a liquid diet and eventually had to repeat Grade 12. Later academic difficulties added to the pressure he felt to find his footing.
At VUT, he started attending classes consistently and earning distinctions. He also secured a place in the University’s first football team, scoring 12 goals at the South African Student Sports Union (SASSU) Gauteng Championships.
His performances attracted the attention of coach Khabo Zondo, who helped launch his professional career. Support also came from the University’s then Director of Sports, Mr Continental Kubheka, who helped him secure a sports bursary covering tuition and accommodation. The assistance eased the financial burden on his family and allowed him to pursue his studies alongside football.
In 2000, while still a student, Mayinga signed his first professional contract with Tembisa Classic under Zondo. His playing career included spells at Black Leopards, Moroka Swallows, Mamelodi Sundowns and Bidvest Wits, as well as the honour of representing Bafana Bafana.
He continued studying and graduated in 2002 with his National Diploma in Sports Management.
Retirement from professional football in 2013 brought another period of adjustment. After years organised around training and competition, he had to work out what would come next.
In 2016, he joined SuperSport as a football analyst. Broadcasting required him to develop new skills, translating his experience on the pitch into clear analysis for viewers. The move gave him a different way to remain involved in the game and, in 2026, marked a decade in television.
Mayinga has now recorded his experiences in Passing It Forward: Where Lessons Become Legacy. The book looks beyond his playing career to the family relationships, mistakes, setbacks and support that shaped his life.
His account gives particular weight to the people who helped him when his future was uncertain. That experience also informs the work of the James Mayinga Foundation, established in 2007.
Through sport, mentorship, coaching, educational assistance and community initiatives, the foundation supports young people facing difficult circumstances. Its work includes providing school uniforms, with 10% of each book sale allocated to this purpose. At R300 a copy, that amounts to R30 per sale.
The uniform initiative also honours the memory of the late Sharon Haussmann, a supporter of the foundation’s work.
For Mayinga, helping young people is a practical way to extend the support he once received. A bursary made it easier for him to study. A coach recognised his ability. His parents gave him another opportunity when earlier attempts had gone wrong.
He hopes fellow alumni will consider what they can offer students and young graduates, whether through mentorship, encouragement or access to opportunities.
VUT remains an important part of that story. It was where he began taking his academic responsibilities seriously, received financial support and found a route into professional football.
His journey offers students a grounded message about second chances: receiving an opportunity matters, but so does the work that follows. More than two decades after graduating, Mayinga is drawing on those lessons to help others take their next step. Find out more about Passing It Forward: Where Lessons Become Legacy on the James Mayinga Foundation website.