GO 5 October 2017.compressed

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October 5, 2017
GO! IN KING
E-mail: goexpress@tisoblackstar.co.za
Netball club’s tribute to star
PAY I N G
TRIBUTE: The
late Sizukiwe
Mganu
(right), with
t e a m m at e
Akhona Pupu
prior to their
league game
in Breidbach
in 2012. King
Eagles
Netball Club
host the
S i z u k i we
Mganu
Memorial
tour nament
next week in
her memory
and is
confident of
d e fe n d i n g
their title in
King
William’s
Tow n
Picture:
DESMOND
COETZEE
King Eagles host Zuki Mganu tournament
DESMOND COETZEE
KING Eagles Netball Club is
hosting their annual Sizukiwe
Mganu Memorial Tournament at
the Victoria Grounds in King
William’s Town next week.
The tournament is staged
annually in memory of one of the
finest netball players the town
and club has ever produced in
“Zuki” Mganu, who died six
years ago in a motor vehicle
accident at the age of 25.
There will be a 5km fun walk
starting at 7.30am that finishes
at Victoria Grounds, which will
be followed by a managers’
meeting at 10am, where the
tournament rules will be laid out.
The affiliation fee is R250 per
club and prizes up for grabs are
a floating trophy, gold medals,
netball kit with bibs and R3000
for the winners.
There is also a floating trophy,
silver medals, netball kit and
R2 000 for the runners-up.
The third prize package
includes a floating trophy,
bronze medals and a set of bibs
and R1000 in prize money.
Long-standing club member
and player Milisa Dom said the
tournament was sponsored by
East London’s Msamo Attorneys
in conjunction with the late
Zuki’s father Mziwonke Mganu,
who is also an honorary member
of the club, as well as Zelna Mini
of Snymani Funeral Services.
Zuki began her netball career
at the age of nine.
She achieved many successes
as a player, coach – and later as
manager, taking netball to
another level in the province.
She represented Border,
Amathole and her provincial
netball sides more than four
times at national level and was
also selected on two occasions
to the SA Netball squad.
Club secretary Lindiwe
Ntlanganiso said as King Eagles
they had been blessed for so
many years to have had a
founder and player like Zuki.
“Zuki represented the Border,
Amathole, Eastern Cape
provincial and the U17 national
sides during her career.
“She also made a great
contribution with transferring of
skills to our players, not only
with netball but life-skills too,
and she was also a recognised
graded umpire who wanted to be
an international umpire,”
Ntlanganiso said.
Mdantsane-based Spiders
Netball Club won the tournament
with its inception in 2012.
They were followed by Young
Queens the following year after
which King Eagles emerged
winners when it was last staged
two years ago.
“In 2014 and last year we
experienced some challenges
and could not stage it [the
tournament] but we are
confident of retaining the title
after we won it 2015,” Dom.
For more information about
the tournament please contact
Milisa Tom on 072-247-6925 or
Lindiwe Ntlanganiso
0 8 2 - 074 - 8 2 2 9 .
Youngster give it her all at indigenous championships
STAFF REPORTER
THERE was drama and
disappointment for team
Eastern Cape at the South
African Indigenous
Championships last
Wednesday when a King
William’s Town Drie Stokkies
athlete suffered a
horrific-looking injury in front
of a good crowd inside the
Seshego Stadium in
Po l o k wa n e .
The Eastern Cape provincial
athlete, Dellarise Christian, 12,
is a Grade 7 pupil at Breidbach
Primary School and was the
youngest athlete in the history
of Drie Stokkies when injury
struck while performing in the
semifinals.
With her legs appearing to
buckle, the bare-foot Christian
was propelled into the air
before landing a few
centimetres away from the
target, falling chest first onto
the surface before being
attended to by her officials
and medical staff.
The talented youngster, who
became the darling of the
crowd from the start of the
national event, remained
motionless, face down on the
track while tears rolled down
her face.
Eastern Cape department of
sport, recreation, arts and
culture project leader Mboniso
Fethu commended her for her
effort during a post-event
meeting just before the team’s
journey back home.
“I want to thank all those
who received medals and to
the youngest athlete at the
festival for making us proud as
a province,” Fetshu said.
Her manager L o n wa b o k a z i
Gungqani, from Hofmeyer, said
he felt devastated by the
incident and injury to
Christian, who carried the
hopes of the province on her
shoulders.
“She was our only athlete
still in the race, giving us hope
after the other two fell out and
we are really feeling bad after
what has happened to our
future star,” said Gungqani,
who was proud of Christian’s
gutsy performances.
“Her unfortunate exit from
the race has not only brought
tears to her province, but also
to so many athletes and
officials from all the other
provinces at the event.
“After realising C h r i st i a n
was only 12 years old, officials
of two major provinces
showed immense interest in
acquiring this talented
individual for their teams,”
Gungqani said.
The final distance for
Christian measured was 9.68m
which was only 13cm short of
that of the athlete who won
the event.
C h r i st i a n ’s coach Desmond
Coetzee said it was his
at h l e t e ’s major attempt at the
Drie Stokkies prize at national
level and her performance
reached beyond his
e x p e c t at i o n s .
“It was our first time ever
competing at that level and we
wanted to get the experience. I
never imagined Dellarise
would go that far, so I’m very
pleased with her overall
per formance,” Coetzee said.
“She is an all-rounder and
excels in whatever the
sporting code might be and I
attribute her successes to her
strong belief in whatever she
takes on and her hard work
and commitment on the
training field.
“I would also like to
commend her school coaches
for nurturing and developing
such a talented girl.”
Besides participating in the
Indigenous Games, the
youngster is playing netball as
a center for the Breidbach
Professionals Netball Club.
Christian has also
represented her school in
athletics at circuit, district,
provincial and national level
on many occasions.
GUTSY EFFORT: EP athlete Dellarise Christian had the crowd on their feet
with her participation at the South African Indigenous Championships
hosted in Polokwane last week
Picture: DESMOND COETZEE