Reitemetse Kekana’s rapid rise to provincial stardom and the impression he is making is the stuff of sporting legend.
Reitumetse Kekana, the precautious youngster who sends out such a positive message about the future of Limpopo softball, is the embodiment of a phenomenon that, from a provincial perspective, the 2024 National Provincial Championships were a marvel to watch.
The Moletlane Texas second base maestro’s rapid rise to provincial stardom and the impression he is making is the stuff of sporting legend.
Kekana personifies what makes the Limpopo Softball Association Super League such a roller-coaster of passion and fury.
He says “Our domestic league has its ups and downs but the good thing is that it is the perfect hatchery of talent. When the league games are in full swing, the intensity and gusto on the field of play boil down to great sportsmanship.”
Born on the New Year’s Eve of 2006 in rural Zebediela, the grade 11 learner at Matladi High School displays glimpses of brilliance with bat and acrobats in the infield with sheer bravery.
Kekana, who cut his softball teeth at the age of nine in 2016, burst onto the softball scene with the confidence of a matador. Within such as short space of time, he has systematically become the symbolic heart of his home and provincial teams’ batting and fielding agenda.
His call-up to the provincial team under the tutelage of his club coach, Thapelo Seshoka initially raised myriad eyebrows and widespread condemnation of team selection nepotism, but somehow justified his presence in the team with admirable brand of ballgame.
“My selection to the provincial squad was a historic moment that will remain entrenched in the corridors of my mind. The NPC and the Gordon Monk tournament which I played as a guest for Gauteng-based Jumpers were steps in the right direction toward international stardom” Itu said, retaining that spirit of verbal parsimony.
His regularity in both the offensive and defensive lineups makes him a complete campaigner with unmatched intensity and great athleticism.
Though Kekana is not blessed with a commanding presence in the infield, those who underestimated his tiny physique rued their misguided judgement of character.
His precipitation on the softball scenery was no coincidence – he comes from the aristocratic softball family that features the iconic Tidima Kekana.
For decades, the maroon and white Texas family existed courtesy of the Kekana family tree that included Oupa, Letshela, Philip, David, Sello, Peter, Moraswi, Thabang, Tshepo, Nthabi, George, Ronaldo and Itu’s brother, Denver.
While Texas’ team lineup card replicates a rollcall of a local traditional council, the young Itu says the presence of the Kekana brothers makes him feel at home where he can randomly draw inspiration from.
“Like any other rural kid who is enthusiastic about sport, softball became the game of choice and the motivation from my immediate family background was overwhelming. I was always fascinated by what these big brothers were doing on the field of play and that left me with no choice by to tail them every time they go to training sessions in the outskirts of the village. That was the springboard from where my sports life was launched” Itu explained.
The hallmarks of Itu’s style of play has always been youthful confidence and ebullience and this somehow makes him an intimidating customer regardless of his structure.