Friday, May 6, 2011

Ntsu High School’s football success earns them legacy projects

Since opening in 1994, Ntsu High School in Bethlehem, Free State, has produced outstanding results in the classroom as well as on the sportsfields, including a fourth-place finish in the 2010 Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup.
 
Run under the auspices of the South African Schools Football Association (SASFA), the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup is the biggest schools football tournament in the country with the most prize money of over R3m. The winner takes R1 million, R600 000 for the runners-up, R500 000 and R400 000 for third- and fourth-place finishers respectively. Each school that wins their provincial final receives R100 000.
 
The tournament prize money is spent on legacy projects identified by the school. In the case of Ntsu, the R400 000 prize money they received went towards a Kombi vehicle, laptops and shade cloth covering the assembly area where all the pupils congregate.
 
Ntsu’s Principal, Moeketsi Masiteng was overjoyed with the final outcome: “I am just so happy and grateful to Sanlam, the Motsepe Family Foundation and the Ubuntu-Botho Development Fund for helping us improve the quality of life of the pupils and teachers at the school.  
 
Masiteng went on to explain the impact each legacy project will make: “The weather here can be harsh at times and the pupils have had to stand for long periods in the blazing sun and the shade cloth will make such a difference to us all.”
 
“And now we have a Kombi for our school community to help us transport our pupils to various activities – including, of course, getting to the venues to play our 2011 Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup games!  And the laptops will further enhance the quality of learning at our school as we strive to reach our main academic goal of a 100% pass rate,” continued Masiteng.
 
“Our motto is to instil a culture of quality learning and teaching so that even our immediate communities feel proud of the work that we do in resolutely shaping the future of our country.  We strive to accommodate a fully multicultural teaching institution,” said Masiteng.  
 

Stanley Khumalo, Sanlam’s Financial Adviser in Bethlehem attended the handover of the legacy projects and said: “Sanlam understands the value of development and opportunity in realising one’s hopes. We believe that the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup creates opportunities that not only have a positive impact on the youth, but also provide exposure to scouts for those pupils who have talent. Importantly, it also contributes to enhanced learning through improved educational facilities for the benefit of the rest of the pupils in the participating schools and the broader community.  
 
Kenneth Makhanya, representative of the Motsepe Foundation and the Ubuntu-Botho Development Trust concurred with Khumalo: “The partnership with Sanlam and SASFA has afforded us the opportunity to reach as many high schools as possible, touching lives and bringing smiles to as many pupils and communities as possible. It is a great honour and thoroughly humbling to be able to contribute to building strong societies while developing a culture of football in our country.”
 
Ntsu, led by coach Mafokane Masooa first competed in the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup in 2004 when they were crowned Free State Provincial champions. Although they were runners-up last year, the rules of the tournament allow the teams that finish in first and second place in the Provincial finals to compete in the National finals and it was here where they excelled.
 
Said Masooa: “We were beaten by Harmony Academy to miss out on being Provincial champions, but we finished in fourth position in the finals which was even better. I have eight boys who also play for the PSL’s Free State Stars development programme, and their experience helped us a great deal.  
 
“The 2011 tournament is now underway and we are all geared up for the Regional finals this coming Saturday, and thanks to the new football kit and equipment, we are well prepared to fight for the top spot,” Masooa concluded.
 
The National finals of the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup will be held between 13 and 16 July 2011.   





Ntsu High School u19 team receive their new football kit from Stanley Khumalo (center), Sanlam Financial Adviser, for their 4th placed finish in the 2010 Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup

Ntsu High School u19 team receive their new school bus from Stanley Khumalo (center), Sanlam Financial Adviser, for their 4th placed finish in the 2010 Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup

Stanley Khumalo of Sanlam and Moeketsi Masiteng School Principal of Ntsu High School during the handover of the R400 000 4th place finish prize in the 2010 Kay Motsepe Schools Cup. This is a view in the Computer Lab that was funded by the winnings

 

1 comment:

  1. I am Motlalentwa Condry Mashinini, I was 1 of the student and a best football player @ Ntsu Secondary School and I would like to congratulate all sports school management for what they achieve @ the moment as well as the players who came after we won mtn cup on the provinsial knockout in Bloemfontein 2003. Big up boys keep on fly the of Ntsu.

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