New leaders for gymnastics federation

Donovan Jurgens, who took the lead as acting president in April 2019, has taken on the position in a permanent capacity.

He will be assisted by Clive Naidoo and Keolebogile Mokolopo who have been appointed as first vice-president and second vice-president. Speaking after his appointment, Jurgens said he is looking forward to continuing the path the federation has been on for a while.

“In the next quarter, and for the foreseeable future, we have to ensure not only the survival of clubs but continued growth after Covid-19 will remain a focus. We have just established new committees in all our nine disciplines so we want to ensure effective planning to improve the standards in all our disciplines as well as growth and transformation.

“My own ambition is to make gymnastics accessible and affordable to people of all ages as a way of improving life and also using gymnastics as a tool to address social development issues,” said Jurgens.

Both Mokolopo and Naidoo echo Jurgens’s goals. Mokolopo, an athlete and coach, won a bronze medal in 2017 and 2019 and a silver medal for South Africa in the Individual Single Rope Freestyle at the 2018 World Jump Rope Championships.

“Being a former gymnast and now a vice-president for the SAGF, the difference I am looking forward to making is really having all gymnasts represented. I would also like to bridge the gap between our clubs and its members and the head office.”

Naido said: “We have implemented a number of changes by changing the constitution and rules and regulations. We now must ensure the implementation of these changes, particularly those pertaining to the technical structure,” said Naidoo.

The SAGF leadership will have the task of leading the federation through to 2024.