A sporting chance for all
Wongalethu High revives Mdantsane’s hopes
Local sports coach Buqaquwuli Mnyila claims “sport in Mdantsane is dead” and that the inaugural Wongalethu High School rugby festival on May 14 may be the only initiative left that can revive serious sporting interest in the area. With 12 schools participating from in and around Mdantsane, the excitement for the first of many years of Mdantsane school ruby was palpable.
Kickoff commenced at 9am and an exciting display of sport ensued with teachers and parents watching and supporting as the festival represented the hopes of many in Mdantsane in terms of youth development.
Schools in the Eastern Cape are plagued with challenges relating to waning infrastructure, substance abuse, dwindling funds and the prospect of youth unemployment, but teachers and pupils at Wongalethu High refuse to be deterred. They are turning to sport as a means to outwit difficult circumstances.
Mnyila acknowledges that schools have to emphasise academics in order to obtain a sufficient pass rate, but he believes the approach undertaken by some schools in terms of keeping pupils engaged solely in academic material inhibits the holistic development of the pupils as “sport helps children learn respect, time management and plays a big role in distracting them from doing bad things”.
Head of sport and administrative clerk at the school Athabile Ngoloyi says schools must adapt to changing employment prospects for the pupils and he emphasises sports as a possible career in which Wongalethu students can excel.
“Most of the learners are academically challenged and nowadays when people make money, they can do so through sport. The world is changing and we no longer have to teach children that their only options are an 8-5 job” he says.
Deputy principle Zukiswa Njamela cites Wongalethu High as the school from which many contemporary leading public figures have emerged and that this inaugural festival provides its current crop of learners with a platform from which their sporting dreams can be realised.
“The Eastern Cape is a rugby orientated province and it starts in the schools. Though we may be challenged and not have facilities and resources, out of the little we have we should use it to advance the aspirations of our learners and there are sports opportunities out there so we can provide a festival like this to showcase their talent so that they can be spotted and maybe be given better opportunities,” says Njamela.
Ngologyi believes that from within the region the next Springbok players will emerge, as he acknowledges the great tradition of rugby as a sporting code at Border level in the Eastern Cape. Stereotypes that pin rugby as a sport reserved for white Afrikaans men exclusively are ideas that Ngoloyi believes should be challenged as the heritage of rugby in this area has produced players of different races and genders at the highest national level. For this reason the school has prioritised both a boys’ and girls’ rugby division and both teams have been practising fervently throughout the year in an effort to build up their capacity at the sport.
Team members Siphenathi Mange and Baxolele Klaas say being given the opportunity to be a part of the rugby teams for the school is more than an honour as it has provided them with confirmation that sport is a worthwhile endeavour with many benefits.
“I love playing rugby and being part of the girls’ team is a big deal because there are not many girls’ teams so we are grateful that we are one of the few schools who actually takes sport for girls seriously,” says Mange.
Both students believe their commitment to rugby has deterred them from engaging in behaviours that are detrimental to their health or their future, as sport keeps them thoroughly occupied.
For Njamela, this is among the most important aspects of the festival’s impact because the school hopes that an increased interest in sport will keep the children motivated to make positive decisions about how and where they spend their time after school.
Schalk Smit, a representative from Freshbake East London who are sponsors of the event, says they anticipate being part of sport and the growth of the Wongalethu rugby festival for many years to come as “many of our employees and their families are from this area and if we have an opportunity to give back, then we want to do that.”
With this being the first of many rugby festivals, schools in the area say they are indebted to Wongalethu High for taking the initiative and wish the festival much success for years to come.