It was an inspiring scene to behold… 170 police officers from all across the country gathered in the spirit of competition and camaraderie to showcase their shooting skills. Gunfire filled the air as they competed for their home provinces in a series of target-shooting simulations.
The tournament was divided into 4 items and played across 10 ranges, including individual tests as well as team based challenges.
The overall men’s winners of the tournament were A.O Wessels (Head Office), D.J Hatting (Free State), and J. van Rooyen (Head Office) – two of which are Olympic Springbok shottists. In the Ladies category the victory was taken by S. Olivier (North West), C. Strydom (Mpumalanga), and A. Stoop (Kwazulu Natal).
The team challenge winner was the Head Office team. Second was Kwazulu-Natal, and North West came in third. ‘Senior Winner’ was O.A. Oosthuizen (Limpopo), and the ‘Super Senior Winner’, J.G. Swanepoel (Limpopo).
Congratulations to all the officers that took part. It truly was an honour to witness. And on a sidenote, a national tournament in which South African officials can compete and collaborate in this fashion is an excellent idea, especially on an inter-provincial level. Perhaps one day we could see the fire brigade follow suit – or watch the traffic department doing drifts and drag races…
The tournament was jovially concluded with a Gala dinner on September 22nd after a spectacular prize giving.
Special thanks to the following sponsors for making the event possible:
Nylstroom Spar, Letaba Security, Kingdom Plant Hire, Breed Security, African Jacana, Rescom, Hailstorm, Lekana Gunshop, African Outdoorsman, Limpopo Toyota, Lexus Polokwane, Rhino Linings Polokwane, Partland Polokwane, Coach House Nougat, Ivory Tusk Lodge, Letaba River Lodge, BB Auto Ford & Mazda Tzaneen, Lannie Motors VW Tzaneen, Spartan Arms, Coca Cola Fortune Tzaneen, Letaba Sportskiet Klub, Limpopo Province Practical Shooting Association, Bidvest (Sea World), ZZ2, RSA Mark, Michelle, Liversage, PaintPot, CP Minnaar Vervoer, Makoma Butchery, Wings Panelbeaters, Spar Phalaborwa, Spar Nylstroom, Pick ‘n Pay Phalaborwa, Scabbert Boerdery, Afri Frame.
