OPINION

"Meet Mzansi's GIANT 6-year-old!" - Daily Sun

The front page and lead story of SA's largest daily newspaper, January 15 2014

Daily Sun (January 15 2014) - SINCE HIS BIRTH, Kananelo has just kept on growing and growing and growing.

He runs around and plays and does the things a normal 10-year-old boy would do . . .

EVEN THOUGH THE 25KG BOY IS ONLY SIX YEARS OLD!

Kananelo Matsau, a boy who wears clothes meant for boys twice his age, celebrated his 6th birthday on Sunday in Botshabelo, outside Bloemfontein, Free State.

Among his siblings, twin sister and brother Tumelo and Itumeleng (18) and his oldest sister Dineo (24), Kananelo is the only one who has grown so fast.

"He weighed 4kg at birth but he is healthy and very active and has never been to a doctor," said his mother, Motshewa Matsau (40).

And Kananelo has the appetite of a 10-year-old!

"He loves meat. It doesn't matter if it is pork, beef or chicken. His favourite meal is pap-and-vleis," she said.

"When I dish up at night I leave three pieces of meat for breakfast. He likes any kind of meat, it makes no difference whether it's pork, beef, chicken or lamb."

She said she gives him more meat for lunch at school.

"And when he comes home I've prepared pap for him which sees him through to the evening meal," she said.

She added that Kananelo also eats snacks like soft porridge and fruit. He drinks about 10 glasses of water a day.

Motshewa and her husband, Daniel, run a spaza shop from their home.

Daniel said he bought Kananelo a baby stroller when he was just a year old.

"He was already too big to carry around," said the proud father.

"But now his weight is no problem.

"He is playful and full of energy."

Kananelo wants to be a cop when he grows up.

"I want to arrest all the people who break the law," he said.

He said his favourite TV programme is wrestling and he is a fan of the legendary superstar John Cena.

He demonstrated his strength to the SunTeam by lifting his 10-year-old friend, Tshepang Sepokane, onto his shoulders, the way a super wrestling hero would.

Kananelo also lifts a 12.5kg bag of maize meal with ease: "I lift it like it is vokol!" he says proudly.

But before he becomes a wrestling superstar, he will have to learn how to read and write.

He starts Grade One at Lebelo Primary School in Botshabelo

today.

See the Daily Sun mobi site for more on this and other stories....

The Daily Sun is South Africa's largest daily newspaper with an average circulation of 291,132 (Audit Bureau of Circulations 3rd Quarter 2013) and a readership of 5.7m (as per AMPS 2012ab). Its Facebook page can be accessed here. It can be followed on Twitter here. To find about advertising on the Daily Sun click here.

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