Lona Benya is the founder and driving force behind Mabenya Sports, born and brewed in the dusty village of Sokapase Location, in the beautiful Province of the Eastern Cape.

She grew up in a family of sports participants with her late father being a well-known rugby player of his time and his brothers and sisters have been players of Rugby, Football and Netball. Lona followed her sibling’s footsteps by being a prominent Sports player within her community in different sporting codes such as athletics, netball and football.

Football proved to be her first love and played together with her village brothers making her the only female player amongst her male teammates. This unusual situation did not prove to be a challenge for her teammates as they recognized Lona as one of the team members regardless of sex. Indeed, sport is a powerful tool for unity and diversity. 

Her football talent and participation proved to be key for her future as she earned herself bursaries and sport assistants, which paid for a huge portion of her studies at Tertiary level. Apart from the financial assistance she received, Lona travelled to most if not all South African Provinces, and a number of African and International countries.