Honouring sports heroes from Qonce
The Qonce community has contributed a lot in sports and it is a tool that has been used to unite and engage people around a common cause. There is still evidence of the long-term benefit of sports in Qonce as witnessed by progressive veterans associations of different sporting codes.
In August I was impressed with how Dispatch columnist Bob Norris took us down memory lane through his weekly pieces.
Norris’s article on a 1990 race in Mdantsane evoked good memories for me. I was registered for the race as a 15-year-old but unfortunately I arrived late and ended up assisting at a nearby water point.
That earned me a T-shirt that I wore in Ginsberg township with a lot of pride.
Our then teacher and retired athlete Edwin Lwana at Charles Morgan school played an important role in instilling discipline in pupils with his focus on “a healthy mind in a healthy body”. His commitment led to Charles Morgan school being the best in Qonce athletics dominating the then Kei Road-held schools sports festival..
Much later I went back to Mdantsane and participated in the Real Gijima organised marathons. I even ran their ultra marathon from Zwelitsha to Mdantsane dubbed Kasi to Kasi, earning my first and only silver medal in 2019 in preparation for the Comrades Marathon, which sadly did not take place due to the Covid pandemic.
Norris is a vintage of athletics in our province and through his humble personality came in handy when I was planning a fun run in memory of Steve Biko at some point.
Sport is a powerful tool as it brings out the best in us. If our country could learn from road running, we would not find ourselves in unfortunate and unnecessary debates such as the provision of basic healthcare to socalled foreigners.
I was impressed by Dr Thuthuzela Ngxoli of Buffalo Runners Athletics Club, who abandoned his target of a 10-hour finish in the recent Comrades Marathon when he stopped to assist in the resuscitation of a fellow runner, who unfortunately died. Despite that, the good doctor soldiered on and finished the Comrades in under 11 hours.
I hope his selflessness was a lesson to others like Limpopo health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba who think healthcare in SA, should be based on nationality.
Ramathuba seems to have forgotten we “were all oppressed and the varying degrees of oppression were deliberately designed to tear and keep us apart” as Africans.
It brings me joy to note that . It is probably high time someone writes about Qonce great sports personalities like Jack Dolomba, PV Maneli, Jaguar Moss, Edwin Lwana, Makhaya Ntini and other unsung heroes. Young people might draw inspiration and in the process be dissuaded from drug abuse and crime.
I also hope Norris will continue to inspire us with his sports column and may all of us heed his advice for the betterment of our communities.