BLUE AND GOLD
DIRECTOR’S CORNER
By Mandla Gagayi, Director, UWC Sport Administration
I
t is almost one year to the day since we left our campus to work and study from home due to the COVID-19 Level 5 lockdown. This was a very challenging situation for everyone, especially our students. The transition from traditional face-to-face lectures to online platforms – where many had no laptops, data or even network coverage – must have felt like a nightmare or a scene from a Stephen King novel. However, I was impressed by the way my colleagues and student-athletes made the best of a bad situation without looking for excuses to neglect their commitments. On a personal level, the lockdown brought me closer to my family. I enjoyed the time we spent together, especially given that my work often involves lots of travelling. Being together for a long time forced us to be open and honest about our feelings, as well as share our thoughts and views about our lives and the future. We also learnt gratitude for the things we have in life: Mr and Mrs G did not lose their jobs and the Little Gs continued their schooling online – small comforts that many others did not, or still do not, have. We have come to a
new appreciation of how short life can be, especially when death struck close to home as colleagues, relatives and others we knew succumbed to the coronavirus. I must confess that, for me, one of the best things that came out of lockdown was the chance to get familiar with technology. I never knew all the things that could be done on all these different communication platforms! At UWC Sport, we used the “quiet” time to reflect on our strategies and make changes where necessary. We also used that time to attend as many online conferences as possible to ensure our return to campus was empowered with new ideas and approaches to deliver the business of sport. The time was opportune for our facilities to be attended to as well. As such, construction on the following facilities began late in 2020 and is currently still underway: the resurfacing of the athletics track, levelling and top dressing of the main field, upgrades to the VOC and VIP lounges, as well as the establishment of a computer lab for student-athletes. None of these projects would have been possible had sporting
activities still been underway. That said, I am happy that, thus far, the following sports federations have given the green light for our teams to resume training: Western Province Rugby Union, Western Province Cricket and the South African Football Association (SAFA). As such, our rugby team has been busy with the preseason for Varsity Cup since November last year, the cricket department has been training and even had two friendlies in December, and women’s football is about to start with their preseason for the SAFA National Women’s League. These developments represent the hope and belief that things are getting better. All we need to do is to keep adhering to the COVID-19 safety protocols and take responsibility for our future and those around us. Things will definitely never be the same post-pandemic but we have to take lessons from this situation and move on. Sport will be back bigger and better, and Udubs’ student-athletes will continue to shine with the full backing of UWC Sport. Until then, let us all stay safe. #WeAreUWCSport
INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT ACTING DIRECTOR Gasant Abarder • UWC SPORT DIRECTOR Mandla Gagayi • EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nashira Davids • EDITOR Myolisi Gophe • MANAGING EDITOR Nastasha Crow • ART DIRECTOR Michel van Rijmenant • COPY EDITOR Zainab Slemang van Rijmenant • CONTRIBUTORS Buntu Gotywa, Fabio De Dominicis, Lyndon Julius, Lynne Rippenaar-Moses, Melissa Siegelaar, Peter Herring, Riaan Salie, Robin Adams, Sikhulule Nkomphela
2
