Young table tennis player brings two medals home
Shabangu has proven that he can stay on top of his game as he already put this province on the spotlight after he obtained two medals.
A young table tennis player is determined to put Mpumalanga on the map when it comes to table tennis.
Speaking to Mpumalanga News, the grade nine learner at Sitintile high school, Simphiwe Shabangu (14) said he is aiming high in terms of becoming a world champion in table tennis. “I started to fall in love with this sport last year and from there on, I never looked back again and so far I’m happy about my performance.”
Shabangu has proven that he can stay on top of his game as he already put this province on the spotlight after obtaining two medals, gold and silver, during the South African Para Junior Table Tennis competition that was recently held in Pretoria. “My biggest wish is to join the national squad in table tennis and I am confident that one day I will reach that level where I’m not only representing my province, but as well as my country,” he explained.
While speaking to this reporter, the president of the Reality South Africa based in Pienaar, which is aiming at promoting sports, Sifiso Mlombo, said Shabangu proves that there are lot of young people out there who have talent in sports in the province, but some of them are becoming discouraged due to lack of sporting facilities.
“We are struggling to get sponsors in the province and we really need assistance with equipment when we are training, we use a broken tennis table that we have been given by people that are no longer using them and it becomes difficult to adjust and get used to new tables when playing in tournaments,“ he explained.
