Hlalefang wises up Alex learners to the game of chess
Founder of Hlalefang Alexandra Chess Club Jonathan Maliboho believes the opening of an office at Sankopano with the Guerbet South Africa partnership will mark a turning point for chess in township.
The Hlalefang Alexandra Chess Club, a non-profit organisation that seeks to wise up the community of this township to the benefits of playing chess, has opened an office at the Sankopano Centre.
The aim of the office is to ensure the chess development organisation, whose name Hlalefang is Sesotho for ‘wise up’, has a home from which it conducts its business of developing and entrenching the game the township.
Speaking at the official opening of the office, founder of the Hlalefang Alexandra Chess Club Jonathan Maliboho, described chess as not just a sport but a game that wises up its players in many spheres of life.
“Chess has been labelled as both a mathematical and scientific game and that many learners in schools that play the game tend to wise up to both maths and science and obtain high marks. It’s not called a game of thinkers for nothing,” Maliboho said.
Maliboho started playing chess at 10 years old and soon turned professional [though retired now] and when he realised what it did for him, he wanted to share the joy and the experience he gained from it with the rest of his township folk.
“I started the club when I was still an active professional player way back in 2014. I am hitting a lot of snags in my efforts to develop local learners in the game of chess but I told myself I am not going to give and will fight until the end,” Maliboho told Alex News in an interview.
“I have approached numerous of our township schools but the principals seem not to buy my story of wanting to develop their learners but all is not lost as I have been invited now to form one chess programme at East Bank High School,” said a delighted Maliboho.
Two key boy learners from school, Simangaliso Sithole and Jack Chuene, came to support him at the opening of the office and Maliboho described them as his pillar of strength in getting learners to buy in on the chess development project.
“It’s been a struggle since 2014 but what we are doing with Hlalefang is to enrich the lives of the children and the youth through chess as a sport as well as being a stepping stone to academic excellence.
“The chess club is an initiative that seeks to build children and youth to focus on their academics and social lives, as well as their recreational commitment to guide our youth to take wise decisions and career paths.”
Maliboho has managed to obtain a listening ear from the corporate world as he has partnered with Guerbet South Africa in his efforts to wise up the township learners and youth. “I am confident with the support of Guerbet, the club will finally fly and my longstanding vision and dream realised,” he added.
Details: Jonathan Maliboho 078 338 0672.
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