Call to bring back sport in black schools

The call made by Phumelele Hlathi in his In Touch column, “Bring back sport in our schools” must be taken seriously. Fortunately I knew Hlathi in the 90s while participating in the Border Schools Rugby Development Programme. What Hlathi is crusading for needs to be given an ear by black school principals, the department of education and DSRAC.

If the foundation is laid in primary school sport, it will spread to high schools and local clubs like in the olden days. I have been asking myself “Kwakhala nyonini in our schools?”

I coached rugby for most of my teaching years.

I coached and refereed rugby even when I was a school principal for 15 years.

In the 90s we played rugby in Sada, preparing for Border Rugby development trials. I am still known in Sada as a rugby teacher.

We need to take this crusade seriously in order to combat ill-discipline in schools.

I also suggest that the department of sport should hire sport veterans to assist teachers in coaching.

Sport inactivity is reflected in black communities by alarming drug and alcohol abuse.