The future of South African football lies in the hands of
youth tournaments such as the under-19 Kay Motsepe Schools Cup, sponsored by
the Motsepe Foundation and Sanlam. Players are identified, placed into
development programmes and nurtured. A fine example is Percy Tau.
Mamelodi Sundowns scouts found this young rough diamond, brought him to
Tshwane, placed him in Clapham High School, where he played in instrumental
part in helping the school win the lucrative tournament, and now competes for
both Bafana Bafana and is making waves at Belgian club, Brugge KV.
The possibility of being identified in the 2019 Kay
Motsepe Schools Cup is exciting for the young players from Dr JL Dube and Mount
Currie High School who will be representing KwaZulu-Natal in the National
Finals taking place at the University of the Free State (Kovsies) from 23rd
to 27th September.
Dr JL Dube won the KZN provincial finals and the
R100 000 that goes with it and automatic qualification to the national
finals. The school is in Kwa-Mashu and this is the second time that they have
qualified for the nationals.
Coach Nhlanhla Makhwasa is a highly qualified teacher with a passion for helping children reach
their potential in a safe, fun-filled environment and football is a perfect
activity to do that, he believes, and this is what drove him to take up
coaching.
The team is hard at work preparing for the nationals. “We
need to remember that we want the boys to become the best players they can
possibly be, and the Kay Motsepe Schools Cup creates an environment for them to
succeed. We are playing friendly matches with the surroundings clubs to give
them the best opportunity to excel at the national finals.
There are three players who Makhwasa believes will be
key to them in Bloemfontein. They are Philani Sithebe (midfielder), Langa Mhlongo (midfielder) and Mxolisi
Mthiya (striker).
Mount Currie High School, from Kokstad in the Harry Gwala
District, came second at the KZN provincial finals and they will also be going
to the nationals. The school has been competing since 2012, but this is the
first time that they qualified for the national finals
Their coach, Mr John Motsa, started soccer at Mount Currie.
Before that there was no sport at the school. Motsa has a SAFA
Introductory level coaching qualification obtained in 2008, a SAFA level one
qualification completed in 2011 and CAF A certificate obtained in 2016. A
contributing factor to their success this year is preparation. “In the
past the Kay Motsepe Schools Cup was the only tournament we entered the entire
year. This year we have registered for the local league and we compete in
different tournaments. It has made a huge difference to our
performance. Learning is one of the key elements of success. The game is
continuously changing and we need to accept that fact and adapt accordingly.”
The provincial finals were tough, admitted Motsa. “We
competed against some excellent teams, but this is our year and we are ready
for the nationals.” The key players that they will be looking to are Benny
Makhetha (central striker), Zukisani Ngubane(striker) and Motsa’s son, Sisipho
Motsa , who is the goalkeeper and is also the captain.
The
national finals promise to be spectacular with 18 teams competing for the
ultimate prize of R1million, making the Kay Motsepe Schools Cup, sponsored by
the Motsepe Foundation and Sanlam, the competition with the biggest prize money
in Africa at under-19 level. The runners-up will take home R600 000, third place and fourth
place finishers get R500 000 and R400 000 respectively. On top
of this the nine Provincial winners will each receive R100 000. The
winnings are not handed over in cash but spent on legacy projects identified by
the winning schools.
PROVINCIAL FINAL WINNERS TO DATE:
|
PROVINCE/PF VENUE
|
DATE
|
WINNERS
|
REGION
|
|
Western Province
Gaansbaai |
03-Aug-19
|
WINNER: John Ramsay High School
|
Bishop Lavis
Cape Town |
|
Western Province
Gaansbaai |
03-Aug-19
|
RUNNER-UP: Beauford West Secondary School
|
Beaufort West
Great Karoo Region |
|
Eastern Cape
Queenstown |
10-Aug-19
|
WINNER: Maria Louw Senior Secondary School
(Queenstown) |
Queenstown
Enoch Mgijima Municipality |
|
Eastern Cape
Queenstown |
10-Aug-19
|
RUNNER-UP: Jojo Senior Secondary
|
Mount Ayliff
Alfred Nzo Municipality |
|
Northern Cape
Upington |
17-Aug
|
WINNER: Okiep HS
|
Okiep
Springbok Municipality |
|
Northern Cape
Upington |
17-Aug
|
RUNNER-Up: Blinkklip HS
|
Posmasburg
ZF Mgcawu Municipality |
|
Limpopo
Polokwane |
24-Aug-19
|
WINNER: Tshikota High School
|
Tshikota (Louis Trichardt)
Vhembe Municipality |
|
Limpopo
Polokwane |
24-Aug-19
|
RUNNER-UP: Ditlalemeso Secondary School
|
Mankweng (Turfloop)
Capricorn District |
|
Gauteng
Nigel |
31-Aug-19
|
WINNER: Rosina Sedibane
|
Laudium, Centurion
Tshwane |
|
Gauteng
Nigel |
31-Aug-19
|
RUNNER-UP: Clapham HS
|
Queenswood, Pretoria
Tshwane |
|
KZN
DURBAN
|
7-Sept-19
|
WINNER: Dr JL Dube High School
|
KwaMashu
Emlanjeni
Durban
|
|
KZN
DURBAN
|
7-Sept-19
|
RUNNER-UP: Mount Currie Senior Secondary School
|
Kokstad
Harry Gwala District
|
|
MPUMALANGA
Ermelo
|
14-Sept-19
|
WINNER: Khula Senior Secondary School
|
Standerton
Gert Sibande
|
|
MPUMALANGA
Ermelo
|
14-Sept-19
|
RUNNER-UP: Siphokuhle Secondary School
|
Piet Retief
Pixley
|
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