The two pupils, Ikageng Gaorekwe and Jeanette Bokadi, achieved exceptional results in the South African cross country trials last year and have been selected to attend the International Association of Athletics Federations’ World Cross Country Championships in Guiyang, China.
The two pupils attend Vorentoe High School in Auckland Park and are a part of the KPMG-sponsored running academy, which is a specialised sports coaching programme based at the school.
According to Pierre Jacobs, a partner at KPMG who manages the running academy with principal Hans Saestad, Vorentoe High School scouts for youths at primary school level who have a strong potential in athletics.
Vorentoe then offers these promising pupils, who often come from rural and/or underprivileged backgrounds, bursaries that covers their general tuition as well as boarding fees at the school’s hostels.
Jacobs said the running academy was previously sponsored by the government, however when the funding was pulled two years ago, KPMG was approached to support the programme.
Jacobs said KPMG offers financial support to cover the cost of school and boarding fees, books, clothing, training camps, coaching and medical expenses.
Staff at KPMG have also become more involved with the school by helping tutor pupils in certain subjects.
“My project team consists of seven KPMG employees, plus 14 volunteers [who help with tutoring],” said Jacobs.
“We’ve been so successful that we have a couple of athletes who have won international colours … the running academy [is unique in that it] takes someone with [sporting] potential, and coaches and guides them,” he added.
Additionally, the KPMG-Vorentoe Running Academy was awarded the Best School Sports Team in the country at the South African Sports Awards last year.
Jacobs, who will chaperon the two pupils to China, also acknowledged the anticipated need of further assisting the pupils in their post-matric endeavours.
“That will be the next step in the programme,” he said.
On 18 March, KPMG hosted an event at their offices in Parktown where they handed over sponsored kits to the pupils.
They were also joined by prominent South African athlete Elana Meyer who had previously won a silver medal at the 1992 summer Olympics.
FILLER: Do you think that government should provide more support for independent sports development programmes? Comment on the Rosebank Killarney Gazette’s Facebook page
