Foul ball for Limpopo softball team
LIMPOPO softball masters have been invited to the South African Softball Masters Association (SASMA) Tournament next month but the provincial side has already been torn apart by internal ructions.
Moyahabo Mabeba
LIMPOPO – LIMPOPO softball masters have been invited to the South African Softball Masters Association (SASMA) Tournament next month but the provincial side has already been torn apart by internal ructions.
The annual tournament, which is scheduled to take place in Boksburg from September 25 to 27, falls within Softball South Africa’s (SSA) calendar of events and is played by softball players who have retired from league structures.
But ahead of this tournament, Limpopo softball is being torn apart by parallel structures regarding the lineup. Seemingly due to factional politics, some core founders of the Limpopo team are being systematically sidelined.
Express understands that a list of players has been circulated in secrecy, with the names of some of the key players who first established the squad three years ago being omitted.
The excluded and disgruntled faction has vowed to form its own team, which means there is a possibility that Limpopo will be represented by two teams. This seems even more likely considering that the SSA’s constitution allows any affiliated province to be represented by more than one team.
Former Seshego Cannons catcher and outfielder, Makgoba “Jankies” Seakamela, who has been at the forefront of organising the provincial masters games, said politics or no politics, all they needed was to play. “We have been waiting for these tournaments and we cannot allow petty squabbles to derail our plans. We are currently pressed for time due to a deadline being set for the registration of the team. We should be registered by August 31. We are supposed to be meeting regularly as part of our pre-tournament preparations. Failure to do so timeously will result in poor planning and this will not augur well for the province,” Seakamela said.
Although Seakamela has been central to organising local matches in the past, it is understood that he was initially sidelined, only to be reincluded recently.
Among those who have been sidelined is Benny Boshomane, who has been part of the team since its inception, and is not pleased with the current status quo.
“This ongoing agenda is really not good for softball in the province. Some of us have been part of this team for a long time. Sidelining us at a time when we are hungry for a tournament of this magnitude will result in players having low morale,” Boshomane said.
