THE hills around the village of Masealama in the Polokwane Local Municipality reverberated to the excited chatter and laughter of players and fans during the annual Easter Games organised by the MJ Maponya Foundation.
The games included a marathon, a four-team football tournament and netball matches. The games which started in 2016 are aimed at contributing towards sport and youth development in rural based communities.
The highly competitive netball matches proved a hit with spectators who cheered on the teams as they battled for honours.
Old and young soaked in the autumn sunshine seated on benches, rocks and camp chairs to cheer on the four football teams executing silky skills and some crunching tackles on the rocky pitch.
The young lads capped a wonderful day of sport with some display of good sportsmanship – even the referees had no use for the dreaded red card as a sign of the wonderful spirit displayed.
The only blight on an otherwise great event was the terrible state of the pitch, which although didn’t do much to deter the spirits of the players, raises the urgent need for a concerted effort to improve or built sporting facilities in rural areas.
Limpopo MEC for Department of Sport, Arts and Culture Nakedi Kekana recently told the provincial legislature during her budget vote speech that “the department has sent out a circular encouraging municipalities to apply for the Municipal Infrastructure Grant for multi-sporting codes courts.”
“There could be more Combi-Courts built from the R10 million grant, as opposed to building one facility worth R10 million per financial year. The municipalities will be able to cover more areas and more citizens in different sporting codes.
While we have the Netball World Cup in sight, lets maximise on the microscope placed on these Combi Courts, in support of the very World Cup,” she said.
Kekana lauded three netball players from Limpopo, namely Boitumelo Matlhoko, Khanyisa Chawane and Lenise Potgieter who are set to participate in the Netball World Cup to be held in Cape Town in July.
Perhaps the young women from Limpopo’s rural villages will find inspiration from this trio and aim for the stars. – news@mukurukuru.co.za
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