By REGINALD KANYANE
A local philanthropist, Mothusi Dikwelane from Ntswanahatse village, near Taung said sports plays a crucial role in developing the mind-set of learners. Dikwelane, who organised soccer and netball tournament competitions for under 15s at three schools, said he is also using sports to discourage learners against the use of drugs.
“Even though sports have been viewed as a way to stay healthy and fit, its importance goes beyond that. I have organised these tournaments because I know that sports help in the overall development of learners. Remember, playing sports teaches lessons of life such as teamwork, accountability, self-confidence, responsibility, and self-discipline.
“So, I came up with this idea after realising that young people are not fully participating in various codes of sports. The other reason, sports can assist our young people to stay away from drug and alcohol abuse, including crime,” he said.
Dikwelane further said three schools such as Moitsemang, Motlhamare and Moncho Primary participated in these tournaments. He added that Taung has an abundance of talent, but it should be nurtured earlier.
“I’ve seen that, in Taung and other areas, there is a high rate of drug abuse by very young boys and girls. So, I want to take part in fighting that. These competitions were supposed to take place back in 2019, but we were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am planning to embark on this initiative atleast twice a year, where we will have indoor games. This will include other sporting codes too and we will bring on more primary schools to participate. So many schools across the Sub-region showed interest and we hope to make it bigger and better next time,” said Dikwelane.
He added: “I’ve got a bigger picture regarding this initiative and I’d like to turn it into an annual event like we do with the Mothusi Dikwelana Annual Sports Tournament in Ntswanahatshe village, near Taung during September. So more details will be revealed soon on how we are going to tackle this and we are grateful that teachers and learners from all three schools praised us.”
“The Motlhamare Primary School were winners of both soccer and netball tournaments, while Moitsemang Primary School came second in both netball and soccer tournaments respectively. The winners scooped a soccer kit, trophy and ball. I am pleading with individuals or business people to support this initiative and contribute in nurturing our youngsters.”
Meanwhile, since last year, the Department of Education gazetted that schools could resume contact sports and non-contact sports. The DBE spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga said in a statement: “The physical education, extracurricular activities and inter-school, district, provincial and national school sport tournaments are, among others, permitted to resume without any spectators.
“However, the organisers and participants are still required to ensure compliance with hygiene and safety measures aimed at preventing and combating the spread of COVID-19. Co-curricular and enrichment activities in the context of care and support are intended to support and augment curriculum implementation in and outside the school.”
Mhlanga said these activities play a significant role in providing a useful diversion from undesirable and destructive behaviour amongst the learners. He said these programmes also allow vulnerable learners to form healthy relationships with supportive peers and adults and ultimately are empowered to develop community networks.
The Director for Sport and Enrichment in Education, Mr Sifiso Ngobese, indicated that the resumption of school sport has been highly anticipated in the Basic Education Sector. “But, it remains the responsibility of every province, district and school to prevent the resurgence of COVID-19 amongst participants. On that note, the DBE outlined critical safety measures to be considered when resuming sport activities.
“The DBE will conduct consultation meetings with the relevant officials across all nine provinces to develop a proper plan and strategies for effective resumption of sport activities. I am glad that finally the Minister has given a directive in terms of how school sport activities should unfold in the context of COVID-19. I therefore encourage officials at provincial level down to school level to assist the government in the fight against the resurgence of Coronavirus.”
The Guardian 