In a shady room, stands a table with four people seated around it, with a cloud of tension hanging above them, as they stare at each other, waiting for the next domino to be played.
As the next domino is revealed, a winner is announced and he smashes dominoes all around the room, screaming at the top of his lungs: “Next!”
This is a usual scene at the Legacy Domino Club, a new club that formed to keep youngsters off Mitchell’s Plain streets.
Behind it all is Bradley Temmers from Eastridge, who had faced a hard life himself when he was growing up in Johannesburg.
“I was getting involved with all the wrong things when I was growing up. Drugs, crime and gangsterism were becoming a part of my everyday life, but deep down inside, I knew it was not the life for me,” Mr Temmers said.
Back in September 2021, Mr Temmers gathered a few youngsters in the backyard of his Eastridge home, opened a set of dominoes and that is where the magic started.
“I could see how much the kids loved playing and I thought this was a great way to keep our kids safe and off the streets,” he explained.
The club has served as a “home” for many of the youth battling the challenges and Legacy has always opened their doors.
Keagan Williams is an 18-year-old also from Eastridge who says he owes everything to Legacy for “rescuing“ him.
Mr Williams had been struggling in the classroom and had been kicked off the football team when he turned to the streets. As he reached a fork in the road, leaning towards a life of gangsterism, he spotted the commotion in Mr Temmers backyard.
“I heard people hitting a table, screaming at each other, but they were actually enjoying themselves. I thought they were arguing with one another. I went closer and saw they playing dominoes and I never left ever since,” Mr Williams laughed.
“The domino club has given me a new chance and a new family, that all started out as just friends.”
Ever since, Mr Williams has become a loyal member of the club, attending every practice, never missing an opportunity to play the game.
“I am so grateful for this game, because I must thank it for rescuing me. I was about to go down that road and live that life, because everything was going wrong for me. I thank Legacy Domino Club for everything they have done for me and this game of dominoes,” Mr Williams said.
Ashwin Temmers is the youngest member of the team and also Mr Temmers son.
At the age of 14, dominoes has become Ashwin’s favourite thing to do to occupy his mind and time.
“I’m always looking forward to Sunday match days with my family and Legacy DC. When you enter the dominoes hall you truly see the impact this sport has on us because it brings together a lot of people, just to come and play this sport we love,” he said.
Legacy Dominoe Club plies their trade in the Cape Metropolitan Domino League out in Rocklands Mitchell’s Plain, where they partake in Sunday league fixtures. After only starting with seven members, they have grown to 20, with many more having come and gone over the years.
“Here at Legacy DC we don’t force anybody to be here, but we are very welcoming and invite everybody and all players, boys and girls. We have turned into a little family and we always caring for one another. It’s amazing to see how such a simple game can create such big changes,” Mr Temmers said.
Mr Temmers also found that many of the children sought solace at his home to escape problems at theirs.
“I now have many kids who don’t want to go home at night, many of them don’t have homes to go to. So we have opened our home and they sleep over sometimes. We feed them and we see to them as best as possible, from our own pockets,” Mr Temmers added.
“If a child says they have no place to go, we don’t have the heart to put them on the street.”
