Rietvale High School benefit from generous Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup winnings

Rietvale High School, from the Francis Baard Region in Northern Cape is a school that has benefitted in the past from the generous prize money on offer to successful schools in the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup. The school was Northern Cape provincial champions in 2011 and 2012, and they received R100 000 each time, to go towards projects needed to benefit not only the school students, but the community at large.

Barry Kammies, the team manager, explains that their success in the competition has meant a lot to the school. ”In 2011 the School Governing Body (SGB) decided to use the prize money to put a fence around the school’s yard. Boys from the township would come into the school and disrupt classes and cause chaos,” he explained. “Since the fence has been put up the school has been running smoothly with no interruptions.”

The SGB hasn’t decided what to do with the 2012 winnings yet, although Kammies believes they should put it towards buying a mini-bus to transport the school’s sports teams to tournaments.  “Most of the tournaments that we partake in are far away and a bus will help us a lot.”

Success in the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup has done a lot for the children at the school, Kammies believes. “More kids are interested in playing for the school’s soccer team now,” he said. “Even the girls have become interested in soccer and we have started a girl’s soccer team. The tournament has uplifted the team’s spirits because they know that this tournament can do a lot, not just for the school, but also for the players as there are always scouts from PSL Clubs attending the Provincial and National finals.”

Rietvale has been in the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup ever since it started, and although they have been Northern Cape provincial champions twice, they have not gone further than that. They are in the provincial finals again this year and Kammies is determined that they will go all the way this time around.

It’s not going to be easy, though. “I have seen Okiep High School playing and they are a very strong team. I think they will give us a tough time when we have to play against them. But my team will do their best,” he said. Kammies identifies 19 year old striker, Angelo Van Rooi as a key player for the team.

“I had played in this tournament for 4 years,” said Van Rooi.  “The first 2 years we didn’t win anything; so when we won in 2011, and again in 2012, my spirits were uplifted and I realised then that working hard does pay off.  This is my last year and I would like to finish within the top four at the National Finals so we can help fund the bus we want to buy to transport the sports players.” he said

About the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup:

·       Named after prominent businessman Patrice Motsepe’s late mother, the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup offers the biggest prize money at school level in Africa (R3.4 million in total). 

·       The sponsors are:  Sanlam, the Motsepe Foundation and the Sanlam Ubuntu-Botho Community Development Trust.

·       The primary objective of the tournament is to revive the culture of school football amongst students between the age of 16 and 19 years old.

·       The tournament also gives players the opportunity to showcase their skills to soccer scouts with the talented players being recruited into development structures to be nurtured and shaped into professional players.