Commitment could help school win KZN Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup provincial finals

When the KwaZulu-Natal Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup provincial final kick’s-off on Saturday, at the SAI Military Base in Ladysmith, there will be 12 district winners competing for the R100 000 prize and a spot in the national finals.  Kadwa Secondary School, representing the Amajuba district, will be bringing along a team that has been together for the past four years and therefore know each other very well and therefore play very well as a team, this just could be the winning formula, says coach,  Thamsanqa Mlambo.

“This year my team is exceptional,” said Mlambo.  “They have the will to win and know each other so well they can anticipate what each person is going to do next.  I believe this could just be what will be the difference between winning and losing.”

Training has been increased to four times a week to brush up.  “Looking at the list of schools participating it will not be easy as there is a lot of talent, but we have the fighting spirit. Further, the team has a number of good players who need to be exposed to scouts from the professional academies and this will be their chance, Mlambo believes.

One such player is Mandla Mokwena, the team captain.  “After becoming captain he has brought a change in the team, the boys relate to him and they respect him,” Mlambo said.

Mandla has been playing for the Angel United club since the age of 8 and training with older boys has also helped him develop quickly.

“Since becoming captain, I have made sure that we connect as a team, I have been working with the coach, developing new training methods, and mainly focusing on our physical strength,” he said. “I can see a big difference in the team since last year.  We understand each other and we are now able to handle criticism from each other a little better than before.”

MandIa sees himself playing for a PSL team one day. “I have not attended trials yet, but I remain hopeful that I will be able to attend trials for a development program. My talent is still raw, so joining a development program will enhance my soccer skills, tactics and physical strength.”

The competing teams include:

Amajuba	Kadwa Secondary
Ilembe	Shakaskraal Secondary
Umgungundlovu	Sibongumusa Secondary
Sisonke	Karl Malcolmes High
Umkhanyakude	Ezibukweni High
Uthukela	Wembesi High
Ugu	Buhlebethu High
Umzinyathi	Buhlebuyeza High
Uthungulu	Welabasha High
Umlazi	Hillview Secondary
Pinetown	Kwe Sethu High
Vryheid	Phumanyova High

ENDS

About the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup:

·       The tournament is run under the auspices of the South Africa Football Association (SASFA)

   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.