What a celebration at Philippi on 3rd October when new Astro fields and nets were officially opened at Siyazakha Primary by the WC Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Ricardo McKenzie, and Nomolizo Memani, the principal. All sports were on view as well as tribal dancing and their excellent choir.
Rotary of Constantia has placed similar facilities in Westlake and Capricorn Primary Schools and they will be moving on to the primary school in Atlantis next. This is brilliant work by a group of dedicated engineer Rotarians. Geoff von Klemperer and Richard Ralston led this project and produced sports facilities of international standard. We applaud them.
It was a day to remember.
MasiSports’ role in the process was to introduce Rotary of Constantia and the Westlake principal, staff, and School Governing Body to the MasiSports model four years ago. Westlake was the first school Rotary assisted. We believe the model can be replicated throughout the province and country and we are so proud to be involved in a small way. Nkondlo Primary near Mthatha has replicated our model with the cultural activities and six sports played on a flat piece of ground, using lime to mark out the field of play. Every school can do that and start after-school sports.
What was so heartwarming to hear from the Minister and the Deputy Mayor, former Springbok Eddie Andrews, is that school sports and cultural activities have at last found a permanent home in the Cultural Affairs and Sports Department. School sports has floated between them and Education for some time. Equally exciting was hearing them explain that PT at schools was permanently on the agenda for the future. They both expounded on the value of sport developing a holistic education platform. That has been the missing link to allow children opportunities to build confidence, develop teamwork, and the discipline and skills to realise their strengths and possibilities. That is so exciting.
At Ukhanyo Primary all 1910 learners have a professionally run PT class every week, where they learn to feel their strength, engage with all sports, and are given a sense of belonging outside the classroom. This is now standard at Westlake, Capricorn, and Siyazakha primary schools.
This Philippi initiative does not just change the school, it changes the whole community.