Picture: Team North West during SASA-II/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
31 March 2026 – The North West Province was crowned as the best province during the 2026 South African Sports Association for the Intellectually Impaired (SASA-II) Championships held on 23 – 27 March 2026, at White River and Mbombela in Mpumalanga Province. The North West Team obtained 3 top positions in the championship, which contributed to its dominance at the tournament.
The North West MEC for Education, Viola Motsumi said the team walked away with top honours. Motsumi said on Blackball Pool (Snooker), the team occupied first position in both team events of Males and Females singles, first position in the Indoor Rowing with Johanna Dlamini, top position in the Female 500 metre and Ditebogo Tshoma obtained the best position in the Male 500 metre.
“Nonhlanhla Pine obtained the Best position in the Female 1 000 metre and Reitumetse Mpudi scooped the Best position in the Male 1000 metre, first position in Swimming whilst the province obtained the fourth position in Table Tennis and Hockey respectively.
“A total of 1800 participants (Athletes and Officials included) participated as part of the prestige event. The North West province through the Department of Education was represented by a team of 165 athletes and officials,” she said.
Motsumi further said the objective of the championship is to make a pathway for athletes with an Intellectual Impaired Disability to become eligible for the National South African team and thus become eligible for international participation. She congratulated the North West Team for obtaining the overall position in the SASA II Championship.
“On behalf of the department l take this time to congratulate Team North West for obtaining the overall top position during the tournament. We are extremely proud of our learners who represented our province.
“The participation of learners in sport reflects the power of sport as a unifying force and platform for sport to remain a critical pillar in the holistic development of learners beyond the classroom,” she added.
Motsumi said she wishes to thank the teachers, who are hard at work training these learners to be the best in extra-curricular activities. She said that also goes to parents for allowing their children to participate in different sporting codes.
“Our primary objective is to give learners a platform to shine and express themselves in all the co-curricular programmes.
“The North West Province is expected to host the South African Special Olympics on 26 June 2026, which will serve as the national team selection event for the Special Olympics South Africa (SOSA) World Games in Chile in 2027,” said Motsumi.
The Guardian 