It's massive for me and the community of Manenberg, says star player

Fuad Esack

Don’t be surprised if you see Manenberg’s “dancing” teacher, Mogammed Shukr Hartzenberg, bobbing around with an extra bounce in his step this week, following his brother Suleiman’s 50th appearance for the Stormers and a man-of-the-match award, in his side’s 34-24 win in a United Rugby Championship match against Cardiff, at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium, last Friday.

A rugby family to the bone, the Hartzenbergs are known for their ball-handling skills and fancy footwork on and off the pitch, none more so than Mr H, as he’s known to followers of his Cape-flavoured jazzy videos on social media. But it was younger brother and Stormers wing, Suleiman, 21, who stole the show with moves of his own, on Friday, with two spectacular tries and an all-round impressive performance.

“Excellent, boetie, excellent,” Mr H said in a video message to baby bro ahead of the big match. “Ýou’re an amazing player, you’re such an inspiration to so many kids out there, whether they are from the Cape Flats or whether they are from Constantia, no matter where they find themselves, irrespective of their background,” he said.

"He embraced every opportunity at the different age group levels of rugby, of Western Province rugby. It is truly remarkable how he embraced all the resources around him, how he managed to rise above what all the other brothers before him managed to start and take his skills and the family name to greater heights," he said.

At the post-match presentation, Hartzenberg, the youngest of six siblings, was quick to thank coach John Dobson and the team for backing him, his family for their support and of course, the community of Manenberg. 

"It’s a massive milestone for them as well," he said in an interview with SuperSport, “I was playing more than just for me, I was playing for that little boy, in the streets, running around in Manenberg."

A member of the Springbok Junior squad that took part in the Six Nations Under-20 Summer Series, in Italy, two years ago, Suleiman, is not the only Hartzenberg to play ball at a high level.

He follows in the footsteps of older brother Yaasier ‘Yaya’ Hartzenberg, who also made the national under-20 squad early in his career, has featured regularly at Western Province in the early to mid-2000s and represented the Griffons in the Currie Cup.

Fellow Hartzenberg live wire and rival sibling, Munier, 27, currently with the Free State Cheetahs, has nothing but praise for his younger brother's achievements, describing his journey as one of resilience, determination and effort. They even faced off during a warm-up match between Griquas and the SA under-20 side. 

“Suleiman and I are the youngest. I’m fifth and he is the sixth, the ‘laat lammetjie’,” he said. 

“It was truly special seeing my brother reaching such an important achievement within his career. I am beyond proud of him for what he has accomplished, obtaining his 50th cap for Stormers at such a young age indicates that a lot of hard work and effort has gone into working towards this milestone,” he said.

“His man-of-the-match performance made it even more memorable," he said.

"For as long as I can remember, my brothers and I have been playing rugby. My second and third eldest brother Shukr and Yaya introduced us to rugby - Yaya playing for WP through junior and senior ranks and Shukr taking us to the rugby fields for training and matches. So from a young age we’ve been playing rugby at our local club Manenberg Rangers which was always a pleasant experience,” he said.

“Our family is passionate about rugby so we would always give each other feedback on what to improve after matches,” he said.

"I think the continuous support my parents and brothers gave us growing up played a big role in reaching our goals but ultimately, there’s always the work that you have to put in as an individual,” he said.