From Nyanga to Amsterdam: The Dance Legacy of Oscar Mpetha’s MOD Programme
At 2:45 p.m. in Nyanga, Cape Town, the final school bell rings at Oscar Mpetha High. Learners stream out of classrooms into a township where violence walks freely, and the afternoon hours often belong to risk. But not for everyone.
Just beyond the courtyard, a different rhythm is building. It begins with the beat of a speaker warming up, the careful placement of cones, and the voice of a young woman calling out names with purpose.
This is the MOD Programme—Mass Participation, Opportunity and Access, Development and Growth. And here, it is doing what few headlines ever capture: offering stability, identity, and hope in the heart of one of South Africa’s most dangerous places.
And nowhere is that more visible than in the story of Inathi Kilawushe and her coach, Ntombizodwa “Zodwa” Dayeni.
It Started With a Girl in Grade 4
In 2013, a quiet ten-year-old named Inathi stepped onto the Oscar Mpetha school court for the first time. She had joined the MOD after-school programme simply to move. To try. To see.
Coach Zodwa noticed her immediately.
“She had discipline. She was focused. But more than that, she had fire,” says Zodwa.
Inathi danced her way through primary school and into high school, staying with the programme through every grade, every afternoon. By the time she matriculated, she had not only mastered the rhythm—but found her direction.
After graduation, she joined SbonDance, a professional dance company based in Cape Town. There, she refined her skill—and caught the attention of international selectors.
In 2023, she was chosen to represent South Africa at a dance festival in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
“She was one of the most committed dancers I’ve worked with,” says Zodwa. “After Amsterdam, she came back to us and started choreographing for the learners. She didn’t forget where she came from.”
Today, at just 21 years old, Inathi is in her first year at the University of Cape Town, studying Theatre and Performance.
The Coach Behind the Curtain
Coach Zodwa’s story is equally powerful. She joined the MOD Programme in 2013, armed with a passion for dance and a dream:
“It was always my biggest wish—to be in front of learners, to filter my talent, and to give back to my community.”
Zodwa doesn’t just run sessions. She stages transformation.
Over the past decade, she has taken learners to:
- The Cape Town Carnival
- The School Arts Festival
- Sharp Centre Sports School
- And most notably, to Hong Kong in 2019, where her team performed South African dance styles to international audiences.
In a community marked by disinvestment and trauma, Zodwa has built a creative sanctuary—one stretch, one song, one dance at a time.
“MOD gave me the chance to live my calling,” she says. “For that, I will always be grateful.”
Not Just Dance—Development
The MOD Programme doesn’t treat sport and art as hobbies. It treats them as developmental infrastructure.
Its coaching model, refined over a decade, focuses on trauma-informed care, emotional resilience, and structured age-based progression. Coaches are trained not just to deliver sessions, but to nurture growth.
At Oscar Mpetha, most MOD learners are now in the Leadership and Mentorship phase—guiding peers, choreographing events, and leading their own performance routines.
Coach Sihle Mkele, a colleague of Zodwa’s, puts it plainly:
“At first, the learners didn’t believe in themselves. Now they arrive early, help each other, plan sessions. They’re becoming leaders.”
A School That Believes
Oscar Mpetha’s principal is unambiguous about the programme’s impact:
“We have the best coaches. Our learners excel because of their commitment.”
Educators note the change as well—learners who once drifted are now present, participating, and full of pride. The culture of care extends into the school day.
Zodwa sees it, too:
“Some learners arrive broken. But through dance, they soften. Through rhythm, they begin to believe.”
From the “Murder Capital” to a Movement of Possibility
Nyanga has long topped South Africa’s murder statistics. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, more than 60 murders were reported in the precinct.
And yet, inside Oscar Mpetha, a different story plays out.
It’s a story of growth. Of dignity. Of defiance in the face of despair.
It’s a 10-year-old girl who dances her way toward university.
It’s a local coach who leads learners to Hong Kong.
It’s the sound of sneakers on concrete instead of gunshots in the air.
It’s hope—with choreography.
The Words They’ll Never Forget
Zodwa ends each session with a message to her learners. It's not about performance. It’s about personhood.
“Always remember—I love you all equally. You are special.”
Her colleague, Coach Sihle, tells them:
“Be yourself. Give your all. And enjoy every moment.”
In a township too often characterised by loss, these words are anchors.
Let’s Fund What’s Working
Oscar Mpetha High’s MOD Programme is not a side-project. It is a proof of concept—for what structured after-school support, local leadership, and the performing arts can do when given room to breathe.
It is time we fund more Zodwas. Celebrate more Inathis. And protect the after-school hours as sacred ground for rebuilding hope.
In Nyanga, where so much has been taken, the MOD Programme is giving something back: a reason to believe.