Jubilation and excitement was the order of the day when the MEC for finance,
Mr Madala Masuku, handed over sport kits to local soccer and netball teams in the area.
One of the young female soccer players, Bandile Mdau, expressed her gratitude and also indicated to Mpumalanga News that her team will no longer have to share a kit with the boys as they now had their own.”
I feel overwhelmed by the gesture from the department because it affirms the confidence they have in what we are doing,” said Collen Madonsela, who was speaking on behalf of his team, Real Tigers FC.
Madonsela added the donation would as a result, encourage them to stay away from drugs and other social ills affecting their community.
Speaking during the handover, Masuku told a crowd of about 50 community members that in an effort for an individual to move forward, one had to have discipline when still young.”
Without it, you will never get anywhere in life.” He said considering the fact that there were a lot of sporting activities in the area, both government and the community should establish a sport league which would enable sponsors to come on board.
“Sport builds the nation and it also strengthens democracy,” said Ehlanzeni mayor, Cllr Letta Shongwe who was also present at the event, mentioning the youth in the area participated in sport despite the fact they didn’t have proper gear and there were a lack of sporting facilities. She also encouraged the youth to participate and to prioritise education. Four teams – Ngodwana United, Peace Hunters, and Real Tiger – battled it out on the soccer pitch during the event.
The first match was between Tiger Boys and Peace Hunters in which the latter were victorious, and Ngodwana United won against Tiger Boys.
This, as a result saw Ngodwana United and Peace Hunters heading to the finals where United finished the game with 4-2.
