Blue and Gold 2018 Issue 1

the Official uwc sports magazine

Inside

Women's football

chester has his say

Cover Story

The lyle & lubelo show launch issue: october 2018

MANDLA’S Message

U

WC Sport has been on an upward trajectory since 2015.

This success comes as a result of teamwork and collaboration across all areas of the University. We are one of the few universities where the sport department enjoys full support – from the Rector and Vice-Chancellor to the person cleaning the facilities or mowing the fields.

UWC is blessed to have students who understand what it means to represent a university with such a rich history. Our students’ understanding that many people sacrificed their lives in the past for this university to be where it is, serves as motivation. The outside world might see us as a previously disadvantaged university, but when we step onto the field, court or track we punch way above our weight. It is always a pleasure to watch any UWC team compete.

It is just past the halfway mark in 2018, but we have already enjoyed great success. We celebrate our promotion to the Varsity Cup – a plan that took almost seven years to realise and which is our greatest achievement by far this year. Our netball team continued to thrive by winning the A Section at USSA and earning promotion to the Super League.

Another significant success is that all our Varsity Sports-affiliated teams have already qualified for the 2019 edition of their respective tournaments, including our men’s basketball team. We have achieved success in codes like netball and basketball, despite not having indoor facilities. We make do with what we have and man-

2 Blue and Gold

age what is within our control. We do not stress about what we cannot manage.

We have also had individual success.

I was proud to be appointed Head of Delegation for Team South Africa at the CUCSA Games in Gaborone, Botswana. Lyle Hendricks represented the South African Under 20 “Baby Boks” at the IRB World Cup in England. Elmien Cloete and Bejancke Della represented South Africa at the FISU Volleyball World Championships in Munich, Germany. Clement Trout represented the country at the FISU Rugby 7s World Championships in Windhoek, Namibia, while Babalwa Latsha did the same at the IRB 7s Women’s World Cup in San Francisco in the US. Our university also had no fewer than 16 athletes (in athletics, basketball, football and volleyball) representing South Africa at the CUCSA Games in Botswana.

The best achievement for me was to witness more than 30 student athletes graduating in April. This was affirmation that education and sport go together.

We also bid farewell to Edwin Wyngaard and Cedric Achilles, legends of UWC Sport, as they went on retirement. While their departure was an emotional affair, it provided the opportunity to bring fresh minds on board. We welcomed two sport administrators - Hassan Sobekwa and Clement Trout - and a manager of support services, Glen Bentley.

For the rest of the year our teams will compete in Varsity Football, Varsity Netball, the USSA Rugby 7s and Varsity 7s

Rugby. I encourage the entire campus community to support our teams in true UWC style. As successful as we are, I believe we can do even better. We are held back only by challenges such as the lack of an indoor sports centre, hockey Astroturf and a competition-standard athletics track.

UWC is perfectly placed in the community and is a mere five minutes from Cape Town International Airport. With support and partnerships we can build facilities that will allow us to host national and international camps and competitions.

I believe the future of world-class national teams in South Africa lies in our universities. Until the various sports federations come to this realisation, we will keep producing national teams that struggle to win when it matters most. South Africa has an abundance of sporting talent, but unfortunately talent alone seldom propels an athlete to success.

Universities have all the required tools to produce a well-rounded athlete – from facilities and infrastructure, to services like medical, psychology, nutrition and life skills education. Most sports federations do not have these resources, so a strong collaboration with universities is necessary.

This may take the form of professional clubs and federations offering bursaries to their athletes to get university access.

Here they will benefit from resources and services that will allow them to become better athletes and responsible citizens.

Mandla Gagayi UWC Director of Sport

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contents 6

12

On the COver 4.

Women's football Houston, we have a pro! Thembi Kgatlana’s move to professional US team 12. OUR CUP RUNNETH OVER Lyle Hendricks and Lubelo Scott talk life, sport and playing in the Varsity Cup next year 24. BOXER KOS STEREOTYPES Gabriella “Zimkhitha” Drewery chats about her boxing journey

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On the inside 5.

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New pro Leandra banking on a Baltic blast Women footballers light up Stateside My cricket dream - Dad’s little white lie From Fairways to football pro Academic triumph makes footballer a class act Trials off the track add to gold-medal lustre Coach Chester has his say Degrees of discipline - rugby is more than a game UWC rugby stars bolster national team Varsity Shield champions 2018 poster Bodybuilding champ powers through life’s challenges Hockey is the business Self-belief gets Hamza off a sticky wicket Canberra calling: former UDubs star joins Brumbies UWC pair fly flag high in Munich The young and the tireless A match made in netball heaven UWC sports map

regulars

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Mandla’s message: Director of Sport 31. A beautiful solution: Prof Cherrel Africa 33. Sports Council message: Olivia Williams 34. Editor’s message: Myolisi Gophe

credits INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT DIRECTOR: Patricia Lawrence UWC SPORT DIRECTOR: Mandla Gagayi EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Gasant Abarder EDITOR: Myolisi Gophe ART DIRECTOR: Amy Myers LAYOUT DESIGN PICTURE EDITING: Amy Myers, Jesi Townsend COMMISSIONING EDITOR: Nashira Davids MANAGING EDITOR: Nastasha Crow WRITERS AND CONTRIBUTORS: Khanyisile Brukwe, Myolisi Gophe, Prof Cherrel Africa, Olivia Williams COPY EDITING: Kevin Flynn EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Taygon Sass PROOF-READING, REVISE: Nicklaus Kruger

Blue and Gold 3

Houston, we have a pro!

UWC ethos shines in Texas-bound Thembi

T

Kgatlana’s move meant that, for the second time in as many years, she had to press pause on her last year of study towards a BA degree.

I guarantee they will bring you success.”

Another important life lesson from UWC for Kgatlana was the value of volunteering her time to uplift the community.

Owing to the high demands of the Banyana camps ahead of the Rio Olympics, she had to put her academic work on hold in 2016 to realise her childhood dream.

Last year she launched the Thembi Kgatlana Football Tournament to empower youngsters in her birthplace of Mohlakeng in Randfontein, Johannesburg.

Kgatlana, pictured below, joined the Houston Dash Football Club in the US after she won or featured in almost every award for women footballers in the country and Africa.

But she insists she will complete her degree and has arranged with the University to return in the near future.

“When I was growing up no one empowered me to be where I am today,” she says. “I had to relocate to Pretoria, then to UWC to get the right services.”

She was shortlisted with two others in January for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Women’s Player of the Year Award, the most prestigious prize for women footballers on the continent.

Among the lessons Kgatlana takes with her from UWC is the importance of hard work and dedication, a lesson emphasised

by UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tyrone Pretorius, when he congratulated her and wished her well during her send-off.

hembi Kgatlana was the University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) first female footballer to turn professional. She is simply the best on the pitch, determined to achieve her goals, and is committed to giving back to the community – a trait common among UWC students.

“It’s an opportunity I just could not say no to,” Kgatlana says of her move to the Houston Dash. “My goal has always been to be picked up by a professional team after the Olympics – but it didn’t work out. Two years down the line and here I am, signed by a big club like Houston Dash. It’s time now that I reach for greener pastures.”

Kgatlana joined her Banyana Banyana captain Janine van Wyk and teammate Linda Motlhalo at the Texas-based club, which is coached by former Banyana Banyana mentor Vera Pauw in the US National Women’s Soccer League.

4 Blue and Gold

“You have the world as your oyster,” he said. “I want you to go and apply these two principles each and every day: determination to succeed, and hard work. And

Proceeds from the event were used to buy soccer balls and sanitary pads which were donated to schools, and blankets which were given to old-age homes.

“So the tournament aims to empower youth and tries to change that situation.”

It’s that community spirit, along with her fantastic football skills, that the University and the country will miss most.

Udubs swells ranks of national team WC has been well represented in the Banyana Banyana set-up in recent times and this year was no different. When the senior national women’s team took on Lesotho in the second round of the 2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations qualifiers, no fewer than four squad players came from Udubs.

U

Khanya Xesi, who are newly signed recruits to the UWC Ladies FC, have joined veteran midfielder Leandra Smeda and star striker Jermaine Seoposenwe in the national team.

South Africa won the two-leg contest and qualified for the tournament to be hosted in Ghana later in the year.

Goalkeeper Roxanne Barker and striker

UWC Ladies coach Nathan Peskin is

New pro

Leandra

banking

on a Baltic blast

U

WC star midfielder Leandra Smeda has joined Gintra Universitetas in Lithuania to become the fifth South African women’s footballer to break through to the professional ranks.

She is also participating in the UEFA Women’s Champions League football tournament with her new team.

The 28-year-old signed a four-month agreement with the Lithuanian champions

ecstatic about the call-up of the four to the national squad.

“It’s always great to see our players get called up for national duty,” he says.

“Leandra has consistently represented us well in the national team and we are very proud of her many contributions to the pride of women’s football in the country.”

Peskin believes the return of

in August to become the second UWC women’s footballer to turn professional in as many months. Striker Thembi Kgatlana joined the Houston Dash in the US earlier this year.

Other South African footballers who are playing at professional level are Janine van Wyk and Linda Motlhalo, who are also at the Houston Dash, and Ode Fulutudilu, who plays for Oulu Nice Soccer in Finland.

Smeda joined the UWC Ladies FC in 2014 and has been part of the team’s resounding success over the years. She is a versatile footballer who can play with both feet and has been a regular in the senior national women’s team for a number of years. But she says she had given up hope of becoming a professional footballer.

are representing the country in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

“I know it will not be easy for me as a foreigner as I now have to adapt to a new team, new teammates, new coaching methods, a new environment, a new style of play and many other things. But I am confident it will work out in the end – I just need to do what I do best and focus on my game, and enjoy myself,” she says.

“If I do well, of which I am confident, this can open up so many doors for other players from UWC and within South Africa. Having more players abroad can only be good for South African women’s football.”

“To be honest I did not expect to be moving abroad. At 28, I had given up on signing for an overseas team so I am very grateful for this chance and looking forward to this great challenge to test myself against other quality players from around the world,” she says.

The club Smeda has joined is owned by Šiauliai University and they play in the highest Lithuanian league, the A Lyga.

They are the reigning champions and

Seoposenwe and Barker to South Africa, after having played in the US over the past few years, and their choice of joining UWC Ladies FC, puts UWC football in a healthy state.

He is excited about the addition of Xesi, who he says is a “brilliant young talent”.

“We are extremely proud of this young lady whose hard work and good

Leandra smeda Women’s Football Player

performances on the football field have led to her call-up,” he says.

“She certainly is a beacon of hope to the local young players. The team is exceptionally proud of her achievement, and the institution will continue to provide a platform for young ladies to achieve their dreams through academics and sport.”

Blue and Gold 5

Women footballers light up Stateside

T

he University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) women footballers are in high demand in the world’s top leagues, with no fewer than 10 players having been poached

by American and European clubs since 2013.

These players have either been offered professional contracts or scholarships to pursue their studies and football careers.

Fifa ranks the US as a top country for women’s football and boasts some of the world’s most attractive and competitive leagues.

Leandra Smeda and Thembi Kgatlana were the latest footballers to land lucrative overseas contracts this year when they were signed by the Gintra Universitetas in Lithuania and the Houston Dash Football Club in the US, respectively. They became the only players at UWC to gain professional football contracts, and only the fourth and fifth South African women’s footballers to do so.

The pair followed Amogelang Motau, Chamelle Wilshire and Drishana Pillay

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who joined another UWC footballer, Nelly Mamabolo, at Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma in 2017. Mamabolo left for Oral Roberts a year earlier.

season. Seoposenwe, a Business Studies graduate, was quoted as saying her switch from UWC to the US had been beneficial for her career.

The first UWC player to head to the US was Jermaine Seoposenwe, who joined Samford University in Alabama in late 2013. Kylin Swart (AIB College of Business in Des Moines), Nomvula Kgoale (Tyler Junior College) and Kelso Peskin (Tyler Junior College Apache Athletics) joined her in 2014.

“I do not really look at how the team has changed because that is inevitable. But I look at how I have changed and if it has been for the better, which I hope it has been,” she said.

But what makes their moves abroad significant is that they are not just making up the numbers in their respective teams. Our UWC ladies have shone. Seoposenwe, for instance, was named the Southern Conference Player of the Year for a second straight year in 2017, and also became Samford’s all-time leading scorer.

It was the 24-year-old’s last season at Samford before she said goodbye to the US in style, scoring 35 goals for the Bulldogs, and eclipsing former Bulldog great Malcanisha Kelley’s record of 34, set a year earlier during her senior

“What I appreciate the most is what I have learnt from my teammates and coaches. I appreciate individual awards but it matters less to me because I just want to win championship titles with Samford.

That will be a true reflection of our ability and how hard we all work as a collective.”

my C cricket dream -

DAD’S LITTLE WHITE LIE Craig govender Proteas Physiotherapist

raig Govender was 10 years old when his father came to his school and told the principal he needed to take the boy to see a doctor. But the little white lie was told so that he could take his son to see a Test match between South Africa and India in Durban.

“I most definitely got the sports bug from my dad, playing every sport possible and representing my primary and high schools in most of them,” he says.

“Passion for the game drives me, as well as the belief my dad and my mum had in me to fulfil my dream from a tender age.”

Govender says his recent appointment as the head physiotherapist for the Proteas is the fulfilment of a dream he has cherished since 1994. Although he played cricket in his school days, by Grade 11 Govender had decided he was destined to be a cricket physiotherapist.

“I have always, and will always, be passionate about the game of cricket, and all I wanted to do was become a professional cricket physiotherapist.”

In 2001, he was accepted into the BSc Physiotherapy programme at UWC. “My research into cricket injury prevention began around that time. I spent many hours on the internet (in the lab at the Goldfields Building), reading up on cricket research and people involved

in the game in South Africa.”

Today, while UWC can proudly boast about being among the best university cricket institutions, Govender remembers when UWC was an evolving institution.

“It has been amazing to see how the once ‘bush university’ has progressed to having one of the best-run amateur clubs in the country. The Sports Skills for Life Skills (SS4LS) programme, which is providing a tertiary education and improving cricket development for promising cricketers, has grown tremendously,” he says.

Govender completed his undergraduate physiotherapy degree in 2004 and his master’s in 2009, while working and doing community service. “During my postgraduate years at UWC I was selected as the South African University Team physiotherapist from 2007 to 2009.”

In 2007, he proposed a medical department for the SS4LS programme, exposing cricketers to assessments, an elite-level fitness programme, and physiotherapy twice a week.

“This programme proved to be - and continues to be - a huge success,” says Govender.

In 2009, Govender was selected to accompany the SA National Cricket Academy on a tour to Bangladesh. The following year, while in Bangladesh again with the academy team, Highveld Lions coach Dave Nosworthy invited him to join them. This made him the first professional cricket physiotherapist appointed in South Africa.

He was also the SA A side’s physiotherapist from 2012 to 2017.

In a prescient moment in 2013, he was quoted as saying: “There is nothing better than getting up every morning and heading off to the cricket grounds to work with elite cricket players. Becoming the national physiotherapist on a full-time basis would be a dream come true...”

Blue and Gold 7

from fairways to football

pro

salie adams UWC Men’s Football Coach

including former Bafana Bafana coaches Clive Barker and Gordon Igesund, and legends Eddie Lewis, Boebie Solomons, David Bright and Ernst Middendorp. The list goes on.

His network is critical to helping refer University players to potential clubs. “You see, professional clubs are looking for our players,” he says. “Besides getting quality players to come and play for UWC we are also getting UWC players into the broader football community. That has always been one of our objectives.”

That goal has yielded good results in recent years, with a couple of former UWC stars now on the books of professional sides. Among them are Suhayl Allie at Highlands Park and Clint Fredericks at Ubuntu Cape Town.

Adams has been involved in professional coaching since 1992. During his first year as UWC coach in 2015, his team brought home the prestigious Varsity Football trophy for the first time.

As a professional player for a number of teams (including Cape Town Spurs, Manning Rangers and Tongaat Crusaders) Adams was predominantly a midfielder but also a utility player, filling any position with ease.

D

uring an interview with Salie Adams his cellphone rings and he apologetically takes the call. During the conversation, Adams is heard saying: “That boy can walk into any professional football team and excel.”

After his conversation Adams reveals that the caller was one of the top coaches in the National First Division – South Africa’s second-tier football league – and was enquiring about the credentials of one of UWC’s rising stars who seems to be doing so well that he is being monitored by a number of professional clubs. This is perhaps one of the reasons Adams is so comfortable at the helm of UWC Football. He is well connected in the country’s football fraternity, having coached with top mentors over the past two decades,

8 Blue and Gold

“I think that is why I am a coach,” he says. “I understand every position on the field and I can explain and make the players understand what their roles are.”

But Adams, who was born in Black River, now Rondebosch East, got into football by default. He used to pull golf carts for his father and uncle from the age of seven.

“I was on the golf course every day as a

small boy,” he recalls.

He was exposed to football for the first time when his family moved to Heideveld.

“When we moved to Heideveld there were eight football fields where we were staying. If I walked out of the house I was right on the soccer field.

“So from 11 years old I played football and some cricket and golf during the off seasons … Golf is my passion; football is something I played because I had to. If you ask me to go play football or golf, I would say golf. If you ask me to coach golf or football, I would say golf.”

Since joining UWC in 2014 as an assistant coach, Adams has enjoyed life on campus.

“I think my experience in working with professional players before and now working with future professionals is very useful to guide them [by] imparting a lot of life skills. My function is to make the team perform better, but also to help individuals to be better people.”

UWC lost in the semi-finals of the University Sport South Africa (USSA) Football Championships in Port Elizabeth in July, but has qualified for the 2019 Varsity Football competition.

Only teams that finish in the top eight of the USSA games qualify for Varsity Football - and UWC has competed in the Varsity Football competition since its inception in 2013.

This is good for the University and the prospective players on campus, says Adams.

Academic triumph

makes footballer

A class act D r Lwando Mdleleni grew up in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape in a family of five that struggled with a sickly father and a mother as the sole breadwinner. This motivated him to use football and education to improve his family’s position.

until I received my sports bursary, which awarded me food and book allowances,” says Mdleleni. “In class I was not very confident speaking English and I struggled with my first presentation. But I didn’t let challenges define me or put me down.”

The UWC assistant coach started well, excelling throughout primary and high school at football and his studies.

Mdleleni quickly learnt to master his academic challenges, and to excel at football. In his first year at UWC he became captain of the football team, a position he held for five years.

After matriculating in 2005, he was accepted at three universities. While playing for the Eastern Cape provincial soccer team in a tournament in Cape Town, the side was based at the UWC campus and so he chose UWC, to study Public Administration

In 2007 he was selected to play in the University Sports South Africa (USSA) national team and was scouted to turn professional. He put his studies first but continued to play in varsity competitions.

“The first month at varsity was the hardest as I had to survive two weeks with only R60 that my mother had given me

In 2013, he was elected SRC President. In 2014, when his age made him ineligible to play university football (he was 25), he turned to coaching and his

side won the USSA provincial league, a cup competition and the Varsity Football tournament that year.

After completing his undergraduate degree, Mdleleni made the difficult decision to continue postgraduate study.

“That did not sit well with my family as I was seen as the person who would change our circumstances,” says Mdleleni.

“So completing the PhD for me was very emotional because of all the challenges and sacrifices I went through.

“Most importantly, I was able to break the chain of getting a degree and then being under ‘black tax’, which I believe puts a strain on us as black children.”

Mdleleni likes to remind students involved in sport that in his decade of involvement with UWC football there hadn’t been more than five students who successfully turned professional while studying.

Nevertheless, he feels his own success in juggling football, academics and involvement in student politics through strength, focus and perseverance, inspired others.

dr lwando mdleleni UWC Men’s Football Assistant Coach

Blue and Gold 9

Trials off the

nabeela parker UWC Athlete

L

eading a delegation of 162 university staff and students to a foreign country can be extremely challenging and tiring. But it can also be fun, fulfilling and very insightful.

This, at least, is Mandla Gagayi’s opinion.

The UWC Director of Sport Administration led the University Sport South Africa (USSA) team that won the 19th edition of the biennial Confederation of University and College Sports Association (CUCSA) games in Botswana in July. Gagayi’s delegation included UWC’s Elmien Cloete, who was the head coach of indoor volleyball, and 15 other University athletes in different sporting codes.

10 Blue and Gold

Under his leadership, Team SA defended the CUCSA title it had won in Zimbabwe two years earlier when Gagayi was the chief of the delegation. But this time the number of medals increased dramatically: 32 gold, 18 silver and 11 bronze.

in the delegation had the tools to do their jobs effectively. He also had to ensure problems and disputes were attended to while maintaining discipline in the team.

“Every year new things come up,” Gagayi says of the away trips. “In Zimbabwe we Gagayi, who serves on USSA’s National had financial challenges where their banks Dispute Resolution Committee, also served had small limits on how much you could as Head of Delegation for Team SA at withdraw. In Botswana the competition the World Student Games in Korea in itself was a challenge. Only one facility, 2016, and as deputy head in Russia in their indoor sport centre, was world-class.

2013.

All the others were shocking and not up to standard at all.”

His function was to allocate duties according to the strengths of his five core team In one worrying incident, a diarrhoea members, and ensure the 20 managers outbreak in the athletes’ village affected

track 25 South African competitors, and one was admitted to hospital. Fortunately, there were two doctors in the South African delegation, says Gagayi.

“It was one of those challenges that we need to learn from so that next time we are better prepared. If we need to pack our own water, we have to do so. Those things build one’s character. We had no moaners or complaints. The athletics tracks had bumps and you could easily trip and fall, but our athletes did not complain about that.”

Gagayi says the South Africans’ success was due to proper preparation and the high level of local competition in our country. “Most of our athletes play in good competitions and leagues and it becomes easy for selectors to choose athletes who are fit and have already been exposed to international competitions.”

He believes that for sport to be strong in South Africa, all sport federations should understand that universities are the ideal places to prepare athletes for competition

add to university gold-medal lustre

and life.

“You can find that there is only one player with a degree in the team and all the others have never been to university and are not strong enough to compete mentally,” he says.

“For me, if the South African Football Association identifies a 17-year-old, they should not send him to an academy but to a university, and make sure he succeeds academically and as a player so that when he gets into the senior national team he is mentally prepared to play at that level.

He was intrigued by how athletes from other nations took pride in representing their countries despite many challenges.

“As much as we dominated the event, the way other athletes owned their sport and were happy to play for their countries regardless of the challenges they faced, was amazing.

“That is what I admired about those countries - and it is something we can all learn from them.”

“The nice thing about university is that while you are nurtured as an athlete you are also prepared as a well-rounded human being. Federations only focus on athletes as players, but here we give them all the life skills.”

The majority of athletes who have represented the country at the Olympic Games have been students, which is proof that universities can produce good athletes, Gagayi adds.

Blue and Gold 11

our runneth over

Lyle Hendricks “The Wonder Kid”

Lubelo scott “Lubs/ScottyLee/Lublade”

12 Blue and Gold

L

yle Hendricks and Lubelo Scott have a lot in common. They are both first-year students at UWC, live two minutes away from each other in Kuils River, and have been playing rugby for the Western Province Under 19 and Under 21 teams. They also enjoy good synergy on the field.

“If he steps on the inside of the field I know that I’ve got to be on the outside, and if he is on the outside I know I have to take the inside,” Scott reveals with a smile. “Sometimes he might just throw the ball without even looking at me, knowing that I’m there, and I would do the same.”

Hendricks agrees, saying it’s the basic link between them.

Their combination probably helped to ensure that the UWC Rugby team not only finished this year’s Varsity Shield competition unbeaten, but thrashed opponents by large margins to earn promotion to the Varsity Cup competition – something that has eluded UWC for many years. But the two insist they merely did their job and that the whole team contributed to their success.

Hendricks admits that, like many people, he was surprised that UWC did so well.

“I didn’t think we would be so successful.

But looking back, I made the best decision to come to UWC. The link between the players is very good here.”

Scott feels the same way. “UWC is punching well above its weight. I used to underestimate UWC and never

thought it was capable of performing at high levels or getting promoted to the Cup. Everyone I have met actually felt the same. I know what a great institution [UWC] is and what it can offer students.”

The two know the Varsity Cup will be a very different ball game to the Varsity Shield, which UWC has dominated over the past three years, reaching the final three times and winning it twice.

“The Cup is a different brand of rugby.

It is going to be harder and I’m looking forward to working with the boys” says Hendricks.

Scott adds: “It will be a huge test for us; the first year is going to be tough, but we can perform well and produce good results.”

Hendricks, who is doing a course in economic development, has been in scintillating form, catching the eye of national selectors who picked him for the Baby Boks team in the World Rugby Under 20 Championships in France in July. But again, he refuses to take credit for the call-up, saying: “It was due to God.” Proving that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, Hendricks comes from a sporting family - his father and brother Liam are involved in rugby. Liam is on the books of the Griquas team for the Currie Cup. “My brother was a real inspiration for me, I look up to him. It’s due to him that I play rugby,” he says.

For Scott, a first-year law student, UWC is like home. His mother and sister graduated from UWC. In fact, he was living with his mother on campus when she was studying for her law degree. “I grew up here at Hector Pieterson residence. My transport (to school) used to pick me up here. I played soccer here while I was growing up and I just have a family bond with UWC. So I took it that I had to give back to the community that brought

me up and moulded me into what I am today.”

Hendricks and Scott say that as much as the team’s “unbreakable” brotherhood has helped UWC to excel, two former Springbok stars – coach Chester Williams and assistant coach Bolla Conradie – have made all the difference.

“Bolla is like a friend to us, he always gives us good advice,” Hendricks notes.

“We relate to Chester like a father figure as he provides everything we need. He is a positive guy. When it comes down to playing rugby he is serious, but after the game we socialise together.”

Scott, who spends his free time recording music, says it is a “huge privilege” to have the two mentors in their dressing room. “I have learnt a lot from just having conversations with Bolla and Chester because they give you the insight on how to make it as a player. I don’t just want to play for the Stormers, but to be where they have been, some day. I have not been lucky, but I believe if I push on I will definitely make it.”

Interestingly, both players name their parents as role models. Scott says: “You look at me and you see my mother, very grounded. I’m not blowing my own horn, but what I’m trying to say is that I have learnt so much and what she taught me has put me where am I today. I don’t think I would be at varsity if it were not for her.”

Scott is clearly down to earth. His favourite meals are traditional umphokoqo (crumbled mealie pap) and umngqusho (samp and beans) – African dishes considered outdated by many youngsters.

Hendricks, who can barely go two weeks without a sushi meal, says his father gave him valuable life lessons.

The UWC rugby team is spiritual, too, and the players always pray before and after games and training sessions. “We put God in everything we do, and I believe that is the reason we didn’t have many injuries,” Scott adds.

Blue and Gold 13

coach chester has his say

UWC Rugby Head Coach Chester Williams reflects on this triumphant journey and talks about the prospect of playing in the Varsity Cup next year.

14 Blue and Gold

johannes (bolla) conradie

Backline & Kicking Coach

P

laying in the Varsity Cup is a massive opportunity for us,” says Williams, who credits the team’s pre-season work for helping to complete their three-year promotion plan.

“Our off- and pre-season planning went well. When we beat False Bay and Robertson in our warm-up games, the team knew they were ready. But we still kept working hard on what we could throughout the season.

“

Our ‘brotherhood’ was key to ensuring there was a confidence within the team that we were going to win the Varsity Shield and qualify for the Varsity Cup”

Lionel langenhoven Forwards Coach

chester williams Head Coach

motion-relegation playoff,” adds the 1995 World Cup-winning Bok wing.

created an environment that allows everyone to fit in.”

“In the medium-term we wanted to win the Varsity Shield and qualify for the Varsity Cup, which we managed to do. Our long-term goal is to stay in the Varsity Cup and hopefully play in the final one day.”

Williams says he has received fantastic support from UWC and his management staff. “UWC Sport Director Mandla Gagayi and rugby administrator Elmien Cloete were there for me throughout the season,” he says.

Williams says it will be important for the University to recruit properly if they are to achieve this.

“I would like our ‘young guns’, the under-20 players, to be able to replace some of the experienced players who leave after they finish their studies. We must build an experienced team for the next three years. We will plan well.”

“

The aim is to put good off-season, pre-season and in-season training programmes together”

“Our ‘brotherhood’ was key to ensuring there was a confidence within the team that we were going to win the Varsity Shield and qualify for the Varsity Cup.

The aim is to put good off-season, pre-season and in-season training programmes together, he says.

“I must also thank my hard-working staff, including forwards coaches Jerome Paarwater and Lionel Langenhoven, backline and kicking coaches Bolla Conradie and Patrick Petersen, and fitness and conditioning coaches Naasier Parker and Lubabalo Faleni.”

“Our short-term goal was to play in the final of the Varsity Shield and in the pro-

“We have a code of conduct that the players have to strictly abide by, and have

•This piece was first published in SA Rugby Magazine.

Blue and Gold 15

degrees of discipline rugby is more than a game

I

t was by chance that Babalwa Latsha got involved in rugby. But she turned out to be so good that she has gone all the way to play for the 7s and 15s Women’s Blitzboks and Springboks.

In July, Latsha was part of the Springbok 7s team that took part in the Women’s 7s Rugby World Cup 7s in San Francisco in the US, where she scored a breathtaking try.

She was also scheduled to feature in the 7s tournament in Tokyo in September and in a Test series against Wales for the 15s Springboks in October and November.

A final-year law student at UWC, Latsha remembers how her rugby journey began

in 2014, during her first year on campus.

She was training in javelin and shotput on the athletics field when she was asked to play 7s rugby in an out-of-town University Sport South Africa tournament.

“I was not doing anything that particular weekend so I said it was okay. It was a free trip after all and I thought I might as well go,” she says.

“I had never heard of girls playing rugby to begin with, and I was just going for the fun of it.”

“Then, at some point, I had to play because a player got injured. I had never touched a rugby ball and had no idea how to play it. I was just told the basics: ‘If you get the ball just run.’

“That was a simple enough instruction so whenever I got the ball I just ran. But at that particular tournament I was actually selected for the South African Students Team.”

It was at that tournament that she realised she was enjoying rugby so much that she dropped athletics there and then.

“It was quite interesting and I was fascinated that women could actually play rugby. It’s a rough sport, so I decided I want to be part of this.”

Latsha, from Khayelitsha, returned to campus and was introduced to the 15s format and did some research to understand the sport better. Since then she has been playing for the UWC Rugby Club, Western Province and Springbok teams as a prop.

For Latsha, rugby is more than a sport.

“When I’m on the field of play I’m in a position of dominance because of my physique. I gym a lot and I’m a little bit stronger and hit a little bit harder. When the whistle goes, with the heart racing and the adrenalin pumping, I get high from that, if I may put it that way.

“I love the feeling of the team environment, when you play with 14 other girls whom you have formed this bond with, on and off the field. For me that camaraderie was one of the things that made me love this sport, because it is so physical. We feel the pain together, we struggle together and we win or lose together.

“The sport also toughens you. It toughens your character because rugby is a hard sport. It requires a lot of discipline and those things stick with you throughout. I feel I have learnt so much from rugby that I could not be taught anywhere else.

No one had to sit me down and say, ‘this is discipline, this is hard work, this is commitment’. You only get that when you are in that type of environment. And for me it was ‘this is me, this is what I want to do’.”

With her father Luvuyo Latsha and Springbok star Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira as role models, Latsha would love to see the gap between men’s and women’s rugby in South Africa bridged one day. “I feel there is not enough exposure for, and resources pumped into, the women’s sport compared to men’s rugby.”

Latsha has to balance a busy rugby schedule with a demanding final year of law studies – the most important thing to her is education, “the rest will follow”.

babalwa latsha Women’s Rugby Player

16 Blue and Gold

“I may have a good rugby career but it may not be sustainable. The degree I’m working on is the same degree that will help me plough back into the rugby fraternity when I don’t play anymore.”

uwc rugby stars bolster national team

he University of the Western Cape (UWC) was instrumental when the University Sport South Africa (USSA) side won the 2018 International University Sports Federation (FISU) World University Rugby Sevens Championship in Namibia.

T

the pedigree of this wonderful club, and we are proud to be associated with a prestigious club such as UWC.

UWC’s Clement Trout was the team manager and assistant coach, while forward Verno Treu played in all the games that ended in the men’s team beating Australia 24-14 in the final. UWC’s Leandi Smith was part of the women’s team that finished fourth at the biannual event, which took place in Swakopmund, Namibia, in July this year.

Trout believes his lessons from the club over the past eight years came in handy for the national team.

The UWC contingent was elated to be in the national team, and proud of the University’s contribution to the national sport set-up. “Our selection shows that UWC Rugby Club can produce players and coaches who can compete at the highest level,” Trout says. “This says a lot about

“I’m sure we will have many more future Springbok players, administrators, managers and coaches coming from our ranks.”

“At UWC we have a high work ethic and a never-give-up attitude. There were a couple of tight games in the tournament, and bringing together players from different universities, I had to pass on that knowledge to them – it helped.”

sent my country and to be an ambassador for UWC,” he adds.

Smith echoes the coach’s sentiments: “Coming from an underprivileged community like Mitchells Plain, it was an honour for me to play for the national students’ team. It was great playing against top teams like France, Brazil and Australia, with different techniques.”

Smith usually plays as a winger but was used as a scrumhalf in Namibia – which was “tricky but educational”.

There were some lessons he brought back to the UWC team, too.

Among the lessons she brought home from her experiences are discipline and time management, and she says she is now more motivated to enhance women’s rugby on campus and in her community.

“It was an amazing experience,” she says.

“I have grown and developed so much from being in the national team. And it was a privilege and an honour to repre-

“I learnt a lot of new things, new skills, met new people and became a better player and a better person.”

leandi smith Women’s 7s Rugby Player

clement trout Team Manager & Assistant Coach

Verno treu Men’s 7s Rugby Player

Blue and Gold 17

uwc varsity shield champions

2018 The University of the Western Cape (UWC) finished top of this year’s Varsity Shield log to earn promotion to the Varsity Cup for the first time in 11 years.

They triumphed over Walter Sisulu University (WSU) in the final.

body- L building champ

ife has thrown up a number of obstacles for Onke Mangxola, but someone with such huge potential is not about to give up on his love for the sport.

He remembers the “especially surreal” moment when, in 2017, he went up against competitors from around the country to bag the title of South African National Natural Bodybuilding Competition champion.

powers through life’s challenges

Mangxola, who was then in the final year of social work studies, says: “Although I worked extremely hard towards preparing for the competition, I honestly did not expect to come first in my weight division, as well as become the overall winner, considering that this was my first time entering on a national level.

“I feel incredibly blessed as I got to compete on an international level, so I was really excited about that and looked forward to it.”

As a national champion he qualified to represent South Africa at an international showpiece in France in 2017.

“This [was] very exciting because I had never really travelled outside the country.

I mean, I [didn’t] even have a passport.

The thought of getting the opportunity to travel because of, and for, my biggest passion [was] heartwarming and staggering for me.” But it was not to be.

Because of his final exam he could not

ONke mangxola Bodybuilder

20 Blue and Gold

compete. “I had funding to travel and compete, but I had to make a choice between the competition and my studies.”

Today, Mangxola is focusing on adjusting to the work environment, and he plans to further his studies at UWC. But he has not given up on competing.

“I am still training and eating my nutrients, but it is quite challenging finding the time to go to the gym every day before or even after work.”

Yet, there is another challenge. “I’m looking for a sponsor to support nutritional needs so that I can be at my best. A bodybuilding diet can be very expensive and, as a student, I cannot afford all my nutritional needs. Nutrition plays a huge role in building muscle,” he says.

“I eat about five to six times a day, and most of these meals consist of greens, protein and good carbohydrates.”

The UWC Sports Council is advocating for recognition for Mangxola. It wants support from the University and wants bodybuilding to be registered as one of the official sporting codes, as it has been in the past.

Meanwhile, Mangxola sees a lot of interest in bodybuilding at the UWC Gym. “Bodybuilding has a lot to offer students.

It promotes discipline, and a healthy body goes hand-in-hand with a healthy mind.”

Kings of UWC soccer tournament

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SEPTEMBER 10AM - 3PM

0 0 BS

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Bring your own snacks/platter and XYZ. Braai facilities available at the Cricket Club House.

hockey

is the

business

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have time for classes since he tours a lot.

Sometimes he writes essays and online tests on the road, but he also attends extra lectures when he gets back.

Shortly after his unexpected entry into the sport he competed in his first inter-provincial trials and made it to an all-star team comprising the top 15 South African under-13 players.

“

hen Ryan Julius was a 13-year-old pupil at Christian Brothers College (CBC) in Table View, the Reverend Garry Lawrence asked him to fill a spot on the school’s hockey team. Today, the soon-to-be UWC graduate is a star on the national hockey team.

He continued up the hockey ranks, qualifying in different divisions of the national team. By the age of 20 he had made the Western Cape team, and represented South Africa at the Junior World Cup in India.

Ryan Julius Hockey Player

Born and raised in Cape Town, Julius excels in indoor and outdoor hockey.

In the latter, he played for the national men’s team. As for indoor hockey, he is set to participate at the Indoor World Cup in Germany. He also captained the UWC hockey team at University Sports South Africa (USSA) competitions in July.

Julius believes sport is an integral part of one’s growth.

“I have been privileged to play for my country,” he says. “But the one thing I truly love about this sport is teamwork.”

The stellar player has been giving back to the campus community by coaching students who are interested in the sport he loves.

He hopes that in time the University will invest more in hockey, and that more students will join.

The UWC BCom student doesn’t always

22 Blue and Gold

One should always work hard, even when feeling lazy”

“I believe UWC has one of the best business faculties – that is one of the factors that drew me here,” he says.

Julius is looking forward to graduating and starting his first job. He enjoys business and is fascinated with finance and the stock exchange.

As far as hockey goes, he is always hard at work playing in international competitions and has a few opportunities lined up overseas. He has just returned from the Commonwealth Games in Australia, and is undergoing a selection process to compete at the outdoor World Cup in India in December.

He has made the Western Province A team and participated in the IPT 2018 Men’s competition in Pietermaritzburg in August.

“One should always work hard, even when feeling lazy,” Julius advises. “That’s the best way to stay ahead and widen the gap between those who choose to rest when there’s work to be done.”

Julius enjoys the support of his sport-loving family and friends, many of whom have been at his side since he started the sport. And there are the coaches who have elevated his love for the game – they include Warren Wallace, Bruce Jacobs and Mark Hopkins.

“For introducing me to the game I love today I am extremely grateful to Reverend Garry Lawrence,” he says. “My life would have been very different had it not been for him.”

Self-belief gets

hamza Off a sticky wicket

n

ot too long ago, cricketer Zubayr Hamza had some doubt about whether he had the mental resilience to make it at the highest level.

“On reflection, I’m even more grateful that the good form continued for the rest of the season, which I ended as one of the leading scorers in the Sunfoil four-day series.”

In 2016, he came up against one of the biggest challenges in his cricketing career.

After being offered the opportunity to make his debut with the Cape Cobras in the four-day competition against the Dolphins in Durban during the 2015/2016 season, he fell ill and missed the match. During the 2016/2017 season he got another chance – to make his four-day debut against the Lions in Johannesburg. But the match did not go well, and Hamza was later dropped from the side.

As a reward for his performances during that series, Hamza won the Player of the Year award, and was one of the three nominees for the Cricket South Africa Sunfoil four-day Player of the Year award.

“It was the first time that I had been dropped from a side and my nerves and performance weighed heavily on me,” he recalls. “I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to perform. It was a terribly underperforming season by the standards I had set earlier, where I only performed well now and then,” says Hamza, who then decided to focus on his studies instead.

Luckily he was given another chance by Cobras coach Ashwell Prince during a match against the Warriors in Port Elizabeth – and he bounced back, scoring his maiden franchise century for the Cobras, notching up an impressive 112 runs for the Cape side.

“The mentorship of coach Ashwell led to a significant improvement in our mental fortitude, which became the cornerstone of our game,” he says.

Hamza, in conjunction with SS4LS, seems to be keeping this dream alive.

“After cricket, provisions have to be made, and that really spurred my desire to not only experience University life and its idiosyncrasies, but to get a quality education in order to pursue my dream of becoming a chartered accountant.”

Hamza, whose father is also a UWC alumnus, was honoured as UWC Sportsman of the Year and was “unexpectedly” selected for the South African A side.

“I think this year has been a turning point for my confidence and self-belief as I also earned an unexpected spot on the South African A side cricket team against the Australian A and India A sides. I hope I am an example to other cricketers that you can follow your dream and still focus on your academics.”

Hamza attributes his success partly to UWC’s Sport Skills for Life Skills (SS4LS) programme (managed by Advocate Nicholas Kok), which he believes are one of the best student/sport programmes in South Africa and which offers many opportunities for students. “There are a number of reasons why students are unable to accommodate both (study and sport) and that is where the SS4LS programme makes the magic happen.”

Studying while working full-time as a cricketer has to be managed with great care if you wish to succeed in both.

Zubayr hamza Men’s Cricketer Blue and Gold 23

boxer KoS

STEReOTYPES

24 Blue and Gold

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t first glance, petite Gabriella “Zimkhitha” Drewery has been mistaken for an athletics star, a swimmer or even a ballet dancer. But the soft-spoken yet confident 21-year-old is actually a gifted boxer.

“A lot of people ask me, ‘why don’t you do ballet, why don’t you do dancing?’ I’m okay, I did dancing – but why do I have to do just that? I can go beyond and achieve better. It’s just a challenge,” she says.

“As women we are really strong and I feel we shouldn’t be underestimating ourselves. If a guy can get into a ring, so can a girl. This is no longer a society that tells you where to be and what to do.”

won a silver medal for the Western Cape team at the national championships last year, and was one of seven UWC boxers who represented the province at the Open Boxing League. The others were Bongiwe Sihluku, Gift Tracey and Olivia Williams, and their male counterparts Sinethemba Blom, Phumlani Nkqetho and Asemahle Sentile. The team was under the guidance of UWC’s own boxing coach, Ayanda Mapasa.

back – she loves the sport.

“Yes, it is tough and hectic,” says Drewery. “But once you find your strategy, you want to keep going. Boxing is a smart sport. You need agility and a natural strategy,” she says.

“It helps you to analyse better, to not underestimate opponents and to be disciplined and calm. It is about using your head more than just your body.”

So how did Drewery get into boxing?

It was while cheerleading at the sports stadium that the sound of bags being beaten caught her attention.

Besides, Drewery, a first-year psychology student at UWC, is simply the best at boxing.

“I ran across in my small cheerleading dress to see what was going on and saw everybody hitting bags and running at the same time. It looked so intense and disciplined, and so uniform. I said: ‘Wow, I want to try this out’.”

Having started boxing only last year while doing a foundation course, she took home a gold medal and was crowned South African champion in the under-51kg category at the National Boxing Championships in 2018.

Drewery had experience in kickboxing and Muay Thai, but had always had reservations about boxing. “I had my own stereotypes about boxing, that it is for people who are trying to be punch-drunk, and I was like, ‘I’m sorry’.”

In fact, even in her rookie season in boxing, Drewery performed fairly well. She

However, after being introduced to the dynamics of the sport, she hasn’t looked

For women, she adds, boxing is even more beneficial.

“For women it is important to be in boxing for defence, to protect yourself. These days we are victims and boxing will build your confidence to walk on the streets while not being arrogant. You can’t underestimate little, petite women like me. I never realised how much potential I have in this small body of mine and how much power I have. That is what boxing has shown me.”

“A lot of women see boxing as a fear they have not experienced, and a fantasy that has never happened. You should not create that for yourself because you will never achieve something. You will never understand who you truly are if you don’t overcome those boundaries.

Gabriella drewery Women’s Boxer

Blue and Gold 25

Canberra

calling:

former Udubs star joins Brumbies dan mc kellar Brumbies Coach

F

ormer UWC rugby star James Verity-Amm has spent 2018 with the Brumbies franchise in Australia after the versatile back signed a one-year contract for this year’s Super Rugby season.

Described by the club as “possessing pace, quick footwork and a great ability to read the game”, Verity-Amm has all the attributes to be a top international player.

He was among the key players for UWC’s team in the Varsity Shield competition for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

He scored four tries in seven appearances in 2014 – including two in a match against UFH Blues – as UWC struggled in the competition, finishing second from the bottom on the log. In 2015, Verity-Amm had a purple patch, scoring hat-tricks in both of their matches against UFH Blues, and away to eventual runners-up Wits.

Then he dotted down twice against TUT Vikings to finish as the competition’s top scorer with 11 tries in seven starts.

Verity-Amm also featured for Western Province Under-21 in the 2015 Under-21 Provincial Championship, making three appearances, including one in the final where he scored a late try to round off his side’s 52–17 victory over Free

26 Blue and Gold

State Under-21 to secure the title.

Born in Kroonstad in the Free State, Verity-Amm attended Hottentots Holland High School in the Western Cape, and graduated through the Western Province age-grade teams to the Under-21 side in 2014.

James verity-amm Former UWC Rugby Star

about the move.

“I am very excited about the prospect of signing for the Brumbies and continuing my rugby career in Canberra,” he says.

“The Brumbies have given me a good opportunity to come and fight for a place in the team.”

Verity-Amm made the move to Perth to link up with the Future Force in early 2016 before making his Super Rugby He congratulates UWC for winning debut with the Western Force a year later. promotion to the Varsity Cup next year, saying that even during his time on The backline player made eight appearcampus they had always had their eyes ances for the Force during the 2017 on earning promotion to the bigger league season, proving he could cut it at the top – something that eluded the team for level as the Perth side charged to second many years. place in the Australian Conference.

He credits the University for contributing to After his signing, Brumbies head coach his astonishing rise in rugby.

Dan McKellar spoke highly of the former UWC player.

“UWC gave me confidence in my game,” he says. “Under (former head coach) “We are very happy that James has dePeter de Villiers the club helped me to cided to join the Brumbies for the 2018 believe that I can get to the next level of season,” he said during the tournament. the game.”

“We have seen James play in Super Rugby last season and he showed As the new kid on the block, Verity-Amm during his time with the Force that he is has been focusing on cementing his spot a handful on attack. He is a very skilful at Super Rugby level, but says he would player, always looking for work.” love to come back to UWC one day “to share a bit of the knowledge and the Verity-Amm says he was over the moon things I have learnt in Super Rugby”.

Thursday, 8th November 2018

uwc pair

fly flag high in

munich bejancke della Volleyball Player

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ith a long and extremely successful partnership, UWC beach volleyball sensation Bejancke Della and veteran coach Elmien Cloete have done great things for South Africa.

They did not disappoint when they represented the country at the FISU World University Beach Volleyball Championship in Munich, Germany, in July.

Although they did not bring back silverware, the two certainly did their best to represent the University Sport South Africa team, which was taking part in the tournament for the first time in many years. They returned with valuable experience and lessons for the sport in this country.

Cloete, a UWC alumna who is responsible for volleyball administration and coaching at the University, was at the helm as coach of the South African team, while Della, a fourth-year law student, paired up with former UWC player Manana Mosea, who is now with the Vaal University of Technology.

Another UWC rising star, Laeeqah Sujee, was a non-travelling reserve, alongside Caroline Malahlela of the University of

28 Blue and Gold

Limpopo. Cloete says of the tournament: “Munich was a fantastic experience for the players and me as a coach”.

“The team had good performances but also not-so-good ones. The standard, as expected, was very high, as we know European volleyball to be. The amount of preparation time some teams had was incredible.”

Della agrees with her coach and adds that South Africa - which was pooled in a tough group with the reigning champions of the competition, Canada, who successfully defended their title, was one of the minnows at the event.

Cloete believes that although the team may not have achieved what it set out to, the players gained so much more.

“Both players have grown in not only skill but mental attitude towards approaching games and tournaments of this nature,” says Cloete.

Elmien Cloete Sport Administrator and Volleyball Coach

Blue and Gold 29

the young and the

tireless BA in Psychology, a programme she says stood out for her because she has always wanted to help people. “I believe that people are so interesting and the way that we think just fascinates me so much.”

She does admit, though, that it is sometimes difficult to balance study and sport because she loves and wants to excel in both.

Lochner, who plays goal attack and goal shooter, says she was welcomed to the UWC team with open arms.

“There are a number of memorable achievements for [the UWC team] but the one that stands out the most for me is when we made history at this year’s University Sports South Africa tournament.”

Danelle lochner UWC Netball Player

The team moved up from the Premier League to the Super League this year.

Lochner is humble about the role she’s played in the team and being selected for the WUNC side. She believes it was the result of great team effort. At any rate, she adds, when you love something and work hard it is easy to perform well.

When she does find time to relax, Lochner chills at home or goes out with friends: “My hobbies include making clothes and irritating my sister.”

D

anelle Lochner is one of UWC’s youngest star netball players. The 21-year-old was the only player from the University selected for the World University Netball Championship Team (WUNC).

the Western Cape, and came to Cape Town in 2018 to follow her dream of playing netball at UWC.

She was born and raised in George, in

Lochner is in her first year pursuing a

30 Blue and Gold

“I started playing netball at the age of six and I haven’t looked back,” she says.

Her parents are her role models since they have worked extremely hard to ensure that she achieves all her dreams and goals. She feels lucky to have friends and family as a solid support system.

She also has a motto she swears by: “People work hard for the things they want in life.”

a beautiful

solution

S

occer has the power to motivate, galvanise and unite. The recent World Cup in Russia once again attested to this – so much so that the article, How we envy the World Cup!, written in 2006 by the late Kofi Annan, former United Nations secretary-general, was republished in 2018.

Similarly, former Cape Times editor Ryland Fisher recently wrote a column headlined, Beautiful aspect of soccer is it brings people together.

My son says South Africa was truly united for 10 seconds when Siphiwe Tshabalala scored the first goal of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, against Mexico in the 55th minute.

And while Fisher laments that “Bafana Bafana have not made us proud in recent years”, he insists “this is no reason for us to not continue to try to fix the national team”.

At the same time, it is clear that investing in soccer is not high on our list of national priorities.

soccer can uplift the social game

but as we continually acknowledge, despite the best efforts of many stakeholders, we still face a grim economic situation where inequality remains stark.

But herein lies a golden opportunity.

Perhaps it is time to think differently about soccer and ways of addressing our social and economic challenges. That is not to say the raft of other initiatives and interventions are not important.

“

Soccer has the power to motivate, galvanise and unite”

South Africans love soccer. Youngsters dream of becoming professional players. Street soccer is common. People of all ages play soccer on open fields.

Yet any person who has a child who played soccer for a local club or school knows the challenges of the “recreational space”.

A parent commits time to being a coach, and their volunteerism must be commended, but this can lead to overt or unconscious bias. This is not always the case, but often it is.

It is not necessary to set out the social and economic challenges gripping our country. All you need to do is buy a bag of groceries, fill your tank with petrol or try to take a journey using public Clubs have to raise money for resourctransport. We are surrounded by the es and fields are run down. Children vulnerability of people and the fragility of who come from poor areas face all sorts the support systems holding them up. of hardships in navigating the system.

At many schools soccer is simply not To this end, President Cyril given the same status as rugby, cricket Ramaphosa has embarked on a major investment drive. South Africa has seen a or hockey. There are initiatives such as myriad of plans to put it on a new path, AMANDLA EduFootball, an international

non-profit organisation that tackles social inequality through the innovative fusion of education and football. The organisation has won many international awards for its evidence-based youth development programmes. These initiatives are laudable and should be supported, but we need a comprehensive, systematic and planned approach.

We need to reimagine the outcomes of lifting the level of soccer from preschool to university level in South Africa. We need to ask: what could it do for social cohesion and employment opportunities?

How could it help to lower levels of substance abuse and crime? Could it be used as a way to develop life skills and confidence in young people?

The South African Football Association mapped out a plan called Vision 2022 to launch “a vibrant schools football programme” and “strengthen women’s football”. But it is not widely known. It needs to be taken to communities and a broad range of stakeholders.

We need active mobilisation around the plan, then it needs to be implemented. In any event, a four-year plan is too short.

It needs to be an eight-year plan aimed at qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. Implementation would require resources.

However, we already have huge human capital. Drive past soccer fields on a Saturday and see the human capital standing in the rain for the love of their sport. We can certainly tap into that!

PROF cherrel africa Acting Head: Political Studies

Blue and Gold 31

a match

made in

netball heaven janine du toit UWC Netball Coach

I

t was never her plan to coach netball that monitors the players during training exclusively. In fact, UWC’s netball and matches.” coach Janine du Toit “had netball only as a subject” at college.

This technology also helped the team to prepare for the Varsity Cup. But the teams that have shone under her guidance are probably grateful she chose The team’s goal at this year’s Varsity Cup this path. is to finish fifth, up from sixth in 2017.

“After this competition we will set new Recently, the UWC team performed so goals for the 2019 season,” says Du well at the University Sports South Africa Toit.

(USSA) games that they were promoted to a senior division and will be playing Born and bred in Cape Town, Du Toit in the Varsity Netball tournament. It has knew from an early age that she loved been a long road for the team, but Du sport and wanted to make it her career.

Toit knew what she had to do to meet She studied sport management at Tythe brief from Director of Sports, Mandla gerberg College (now Northlink College) where she started coaching as part of her Gagayi. practicals. At the time she played netball for Western Province.

In 2016, they qualified for the Varsity Cup, and for the Super League a year “At the age of 20 I started developing a later. love for coaching while still pursuing playing, umpiring and technical,” she says.

“We lost by two goals in the playoff, which left us in the Premier League again At first she coached occasionally and then for 2018.” became a full-time Western Cape Sport School coach. Under her direction the This just served as motivation for the team excelled in all competitions. team: in July this year they won the playoff match convincingly and moved to “After my huge success with the girls, my the Super League for 2019. passion for coaching became a reality,” she says.

In 2017, Du Toit asked Keenan Watson to be their strength and conditioning coach. He ensured the team Du Toit joined UWC in 2014. At first she coached the C and D teams for two was fit and match-ready, while Freda years, and in 2016 she was appointed Kemp became the defence coach. coach for the A and B teams.

“She uses the Stats Sports GPS system

32 Blue and Gold

“Before being appointed as a coach in 2014 I was also the USSA manager for 2012 and 2013,” she says.

During their USSA tournament some of her players were selected for the World University Netball Competition team trials – a first for UWC. They included Keesha van Schalkwyk, Cindy Amsterdam, Danelle Lochner, Alicia Pieterse, Courtleigh Behr and Savannah Kasner. Lochner was selected for the squad.

Economics ace shows huge net worth University of the Western Cape BCom student Jaumbuaije Zauana is an “old soul” but a young woman destined for great things – on the netball court and academically. Since joining the University in 2016 she has helped Udubs qualify for Varsity Netball and earn promotions to upper leagues in the USSA competitions - and been recognised with the UWC Sportswoman of Year Award.

Jaumbuaije Zauana UWC Netball player

sports council Message

a tremendous year for uwc’s student athletes

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018 will stand out as a tremendous year for UWC Sport.

Our year started with an amazing victory for our rugby team, which resulted in the boys advancing to the Varsity Cup. The hard work by the team, management and coaches, along with support from the rest of UWC, led to an amazing final on home ground.

UWC Sport also showcased amazing talent from female athletes, including Western Province and South African women’s rugby player Babalwa Latsha. She was selected as a Lady Blitzbok to represent SA at the IRB Sevens Women’s Rugby World Cup in San Francisco.

UWC players Leandi Smith and Verno Treu represented SA in the FISU Rugby 7s World Championships, while the University’s Clement Trout was appointed team manager and assistant coach.

Boxer Gabriella Drewery (Under-51kg) also displayed amazing talent, becoming the first female boxer at UWC to win gold at the South African National Boxing Organisation’s national championships in Mpumalanga. Her teammate, UWC and WP boxer Asemahle Sentile, brought back bronze in the Under-56kg category.

UWC Sport recently competed in the University Sports South Africa (USSA) 2018 National Competitions. Here our netball team won the Section A category and was promoted to the USSA Super League.

The dance team won the USSA Dance Competition in Kimberley and showcased amazing talent.

Our men’s hockey team won the C Section and were promoted to the B Section.

Our ladies’ chess team took first place overall and our men’s chess team placed third. On top of that, our men’s basketball team qualified for the inaugural 2019 Varsity Basketball Competition.

We had competitors in athletics, basketball, football and volleyball, among others, representing us at the international level, such as the Confederation of University and College Sports Association Games.

The volleyball team saw its administrator and coach, Elmien Cloete, alongside player Bejancke Della, represent South Africa at the FISU Beach Volleyball World Championships in Germany.

The UWC Sports Council has been actively working towards advocating for change within UWC Sport and serving the Sports Department as best we can.

We have been involved in organising and assisting with various events and outreach programmes.

I am fortunate enough to be backed by a team who believes in making a difference.

What I appreciate most is that the members are more focused on doing the work, and getting involved behind the scenes.

The Sports Council recently established a Sports Council Leadership Board at the stadium, which we hope will motivate athletes to get involved in, and become members of, the council.

The Sports Council consists of myself as

Chairperson, Elizabeth Ntsako Dzumba as Deputy Chairperson, Tessa Preen (Secretary General), Phumlani Nkqetho (Projects Officer) and Minenhle Mncwabe (Policy and Transformation Officer). We are mentored by Sport Administrator Hassan Sobekwa, who is under the supportive leadership of our Director of Sport, Mandla Gagayi.

I would also like to recognise the hard work of other sporting codes such as our rowing, karate, table tennis and cheerleading teams. It is inspiring to see how these athletes, who are from diverse backgrounds and are studying in different fields, are so passionate about sport and representing the University.

In addition to being involved in many aspects of student sport, the Sports Council still faces many challenges, since we play a pivotal role in advocating for the needs of student athletes.

I do, however, believe that many athletes need to be made aware of the role of the Sports Council. With a proper support structure from staff and other roleplayers we are able to make a change and be the voice for those athletes.

My plea to future leaders of the Sports Council is to continue bridging the gap between the Council and student athletes and to ensure that we reach our mandate: to always continue to be the voice of student athletes - and to always work as a team.

olivia williams Chairperson of UWC Sports Council

Blue and Gold 33

Editor's Message university sport is a study in creating superstars

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s South Africa marked Nelson Mandela’s centenary in 2018, it is important to remember the role student athletes have played, and continue to play, in nation-building.

As Madiba himself once famously put it: “Sport has the power to change the world.”

But ask any university student athlete about balancing sport activities with academic work and you will likely get the same response: it is a tough business.

So tough that many have had to either pause one to focus on the other, or even choose between them.

The story of celebrated University of the Western Cape women’s football star Thembi Kgatlana is a case in point.

Since enrolling at the University in 2015 she has been forced to put a hold on her studies on two occasions. First, she had to attend the Banyana Banyana camps in preparation for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Then she joined the Houston Dash Football Club in the US earlier this year to become the fourth South African women’s footballer to land a professional contract.

For the Olympic Games, Kgatlana, like all the selected players at the time, was given an ultimatum: to either attend the long camps from as early as the beginning of the year, or not be considered at all. She ended up sacrificing her studies to realise her childhood dream of going to the world’s biggest sporting showpiece.

Who wouldn’t have done the same?

Kgatlana, a regular in the Banyana

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Banyana set-up, found the going tough at times. “Sometimes the University doesn’t release me because I have a lot of work.

Sometimes they release me but while I’m in the camp I have to talk to my lecturers or tutors so that I can submit. Sometimes I just want to give up, but I know that, in the end I want to play soccer and also finish my studies and make my parents proud.”

But does it have to be so burdensome?

Sport, like education, plays a crucial role in building individuals, society and the nation’s psyche. It also forms part of the University’s holistic student development strategy.

“

sport has the power to change the world”nelson mandela

Of course, there are many student athletes who have not only coped but have passed the test with flying colours. Among them is UWC Football Club assistant coach, Lwando Mdleleni, who played soccer and even served as SRC President, but still did so well in his studies over the years that he completed his PhD last year, making him a role model for many.

The City of Cape Town released research a few years ago that showed an alarmingly low number of Capetonians were actively involved in sport. This, together with the prevalence of lifestyle diseases and couch-potato tendencies, is yet more reason for student athletes to

be celebrated, encouraged, supported and rewarded.

Structured programmes to support young athletes should be implemented as early as primary and high school. Having been involved in sport at grassroots level for more than a decade, I have found it is common for youngsters to turn up in large numbers at amateur clubs at the beginning of the year. Those numbers start to dwindle in the second term, and the third and last quarters of the year are nightmares for some coaches as players focus on their studies.

A coordinated approach is needed between teachers, parents, coaches and federations to ensure that these young athletes are holistically developed at all levels. For instance, if a child was involved in sports during school hours, is there a need to also attend club training after school?

The Sport Skills for Life Skills (SS4LS) programme has done amazing work to help students in disadvantaged communities to become top men’s and women’s cricketers while giving them the opportunity to obtain a tertiary qualification.

Such an initiative is proof that student athletes can be successfully supported – but only if everyone works in concert. Only then can we develop our sporting superstars of tomorrow and the well-rounded future leaders South Africa needs.

Myolisi gophe Blue and Gold Editor

uwc sports map Football: A total of 90 players

of which 7 have received their national colours.

Hockey club: A total of 71 players

of which 2 are provincial and 1 received their national colours.

Netball: A total of 70 players

by the

numbers

of which 12 are provincial and 3 received their national colours.

Rugby: A total of 120 players

1 player in each of the following teams: SA Women’s senior, Baby Bok, SA Ladies 7s, and the USSA 7s team.

In the Western Province Ladies team and Western Province U/21 team we have 2 and 4 players respectively.

Volleyball: A total of 16 players

of which 5 are part of the USSA National team.

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Stadium/Sports Admin/Gym A Tartan Athletics Track Soccer Fields Netball Courts Basketball Courts Cricket Oval & Club House Squash Courts Pools Tennis Courts Soccer Fields Cricket Oval

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UWC Sport is grateful for the support of generous sponsor