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11 Februar y, 202 1
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Tribute to Leo Borman PAGE 7 Crimes rise after booze ban lifted PAGE 7
Netball SA
back in action
SPAR Challenge in Cape Town from March 24 to 31
MATTHEW FIELD
In light of the relaxation of level 3
lockdown restrictions, Netball SA
has announced that netball
activities would resume effective
Monday February 8.
As previously reported by the
GO! & Express ('Netball SA cancels
all events', January 14 2021),
Netball SA had originally suspended
all activities in order to protect
players and staff from Covid-19.
However, they have since revised
their position after a careful review
of recent events.
“The decision to resume netball
activities was not an easy one,
because we are still amid a
pandemic and we needed to be very
careful on how we will do things
going forward,” said Netball SA
president Cecilia Molokwane.
“This was a balancing act
because key to our list of priorities is
ensuring that we preserve the lives of
all our stakeholders while we play
the sport we love.”
The first event on the revived
calendar will be the 2021 SPAR
Challenge, which will take place in
Cape Town from March 24 to 31.
Teams taking part will be the
SPAR Proteas, the SA President's XII,
the SPAR Baby Proteas (u/21) and
Uganda's She Crains. Namibia is yet
to confirm if they will be sending a
team.
Cape Town mayoral committee
member for safety and security JP
Smith said the city was proud to
partner with Netball SA.
“As the home of Netball for the
next three years leading up to the
2023 Netball World Cup, the
Mother City will again showcase to
the global stage that it can host
major events in a safe environment
despite the pandemic.
“We are looking forward to
welcoming the teams to our city and
for them to experience the beauty of
the Mother City,” he said.
The federation has also called on
local teams that wish to resume
training and host coaching clinics to
submit their risk mitigation plans to
Netball SA for approval.
READY TO PLAY: Netball SA announced that
activities resumed on Monday, February 8
Picture: SUPPLIED
‘Border Rugby situation saddening’
ATHENKOSI TSOTSI
The dysfunctional state of Border
Rugby Union (BRU) has left many in
the rugby fraternity brokenhearted,
including former CEO Syd
L a u b s ch e r.
Laubscher is a true Border man,
having spent half his life serving the
union, from the time of exclusion to
that of inclusion in rugby, when he
was one of the key figures who
helped transform BRU.
He has been a provincial
selector, general manager, executive,
CEO, and president; all-around he
has been with BRU formally from
1971 till 2008.
“I’m a lifelong member of the
Border Rugby Football Union, I
think I’m the only one left, the others
have passed on.
“I’ve been involved with Border
rugby, white and nonracial,”
reminisced Laubscher.
During the time of unification, he
witnessed the union reach
unimaginable heights, he saw the
victory over Wales in 1998 and the
Border Bulldogs take part in the
Currie Cup. The union now finds
itself in a contrasting position, being
under the administration of SA
Rugby, and with all its problems
well-documented over the years.
The union’s downward spiral has
left Laubscher heavy-hearted.
“To see what has happened to
Border Rugby is really hurting me,
the condition of Border Rugby, and
how it has slipped down is quite sad.
“It’s a really sad situation. I can’t
say there’s much hope for this
u n i o n ,” he said.
Laubscher says bad management
and infighting are the pivotal reasons
for the union’s situation.
“Things started to fall apart due to
bad management, then things went
south. From the outside looking in,
as a spectator, it’s bad management
from the executives and infighting.
“The financial wheels of Border
Rugby just fell off, they couldn’t pay
their debts and the players.”
SARU and the Eastern Cape
department of sports, arts, culture &
recreation have been working
together to solve the problems at
BRU.
Laubscher believes the best
solution to turn things around is for
the sub-unions to be strong and to
get rugby people on the board and in
management.
“We need to get club rugby and
amateur rugby sides to pick
themselves up first, that’s the main
key. We need to get an executive of
not ‘politicians’ but people who love
rugby, that’s the way forward,”
Laubscher said. - DispatchLIVE
SYD LAUBSCHER
❝We need to get
an executive of
not ‘politicians’
but people
who love
rugby, that’s
the way
f o r w a rd