Lerato Mailoane
Schools’ sports was a winner in the 13 annual Gauteng Sports Awards, as a growing number of winners who won participated in schools sports demonstrating the growing interest and participation in school sports in the province.
The awards were held under the theme ‘Celebrating Excellence, Inspiring the Youth. They are aimed at recognizing and honouring Gauteng-based athletes for their brilliance on the field and for living up to Gauteng being the ‘Home of Champions’.
The 13th edition of the annual Gauteng Sport Awards took place on 24 November 2024, where rising football sensation Relebohile Mofokeng was awarded Sport Personality of the Year.
Relebohile is a product of the School of Excellence, where he was scouted by Orlando Pirates. Having set the PSL football season alight, Relebohile won the Nedbank Cup and MTN Cup with the Orlando Pirates and was recognized as DSTV Young Player of the Season.
The 20-year-old Mofokeng from Sharpeville, won in the category, which was voted for by the public through SMS, beating out seasoned sports stars Akani Simbine, Dricus Du Plessis, Ronwen Williams and Tatjana Smith.
Olympian and Curro Hazeldean High School matriculant, Bayanda Walaza was awarded the award for the Most Promising Athlete. On 9 August 2024, Walaza won an Olympic silver medal as part of South Africa’s 4 x 100 metres relay team at the Paris Olympics while still only 18 years old, becoming the first South African to win an Olympic medal while still in high school. He won gold in both the 100 metres and 200 metres at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru in August 2024.
Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Matome Chiloane said the awards will go a long way in enhancing the development of school sports in Gauteng.
“We are also ensuring young players perform at high level which is crucial in ensuring they reach their potential early on in their development,” said Chiloane.
The Most Promising Team of the Year went to Clapham High School from Tshwane which is renowned for producing elite young football players. Last month the school’s football team won the first price during the School Sports Wednesday league programme.
The first-of-its-kind league format for School Sports in the country, the tournament featured 16 teams (eight male teams, eight female teams) of the best-performing schools.
Each of the 59 finalists will pocket R15 000, whilst winners will receive an additional R25 000 in prize money. The winners will automatically be entered into the national South African Sport Awards happening later this year.
Meanwhile, a total of nine Gauteng based athletes who represented South Africa at the 2024 Olympics received special cash incentives for winning medals (at the Olympics).
They include Tatjana Smith, Bayanda Walaza, Akani Simbini, Shaun Maswanganyi, Bradley Nkoana, Simoné Kruger, Pieter Du Preez, Donald Ramaphadi and Lucas Sithole. The incentives were awarded curtesy of the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation.
SOURCED FROM THE GPG WEBSITE.
