Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Mr Lebogang Maile, has described his engagement with The Sports Trust as a strategic and visionary step towards transforming sport infrastructure, strengthening school sport and building sustainable talent development systems across Gauteng.
The meeting forms part of the Department’s broader programme to integrate education, sport, youth development and community safety, recognising sport as a critical instrument for social development, discipline, economic participation and nation-building.
MEC Maile said Gauteng, home to over 16 million residents and more than 2.6 million learners in public schools, carries both the highest concentration of youth and one of the largest untapped sporting talent pools in South Africa.
“Our province has the numbers, the talent and the energy. What we now need is the infrastructure, the systems and the partnerships to match that potential.”
The Sports Trust, established on the vision of former President Nelson Mandela to unite government, business and sports federations in advancing sport development, has over the past 30 years invested more than R1 billion (R1,003,074,433) into sport infrastructure and programmes nationally. This investment has translated into 1,418 projects across South Africa between 1994 and 2026 — averaging approximately 47 projects annually and an average spend of R33.4 million per year.
MEC Maile welcomed these figures, describing them as evidence of a credible and experienced institution capable of helping government accelerate delivery.
Of the 1,418 projects nationally, Gauteng has benefited from 283 projects, accounting for nearly 20% of the Sports Trust’s total national footprint.
This includes:
* 48 multi-purpose sports courts
* 38 additional sport infrastructure projects
* 187 equipment and sports kit support initiatives
* 10 sport development programmes
This means Gauteng alone accounts for:
* 29.6% of all sports courts developed nationally
* 26.9% of all non-court infrastructure nationally
* 17.3% of all equipment and kit support nationally
“These numbers confirm that Gauteng is already a major site of sport investment, but they also tell us there is room to scale. Our population growth and youth demographics demand a faster pace of infrastructure expansion.”
MEC Maile said the Department sees major value in the Sports Trust’s multi-purpose court model, with each facility costing approximately R2.65 million, carrying a 20-year lifespan, a 15-year warranty, and the ability to support at least 7 sporting codes including soccer, futsal, basketball, volleyball, netball, tennis and wheelchair sport. Each facility is operational 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, with solar-powered lighting systems generating 1,000 watts per corner.
He said this model aligns directly with Gauteng’s objective of maximizing public infrastructure impact.
“If Gauteng were to build just 20 additional facilities using this model, we would inject approximately R53 million into sport infrastructure while creating access to more than 140 multi-code sporting opportunities across communities.”
The MEC also welcomed the Sports Trust’s community participation model, noting that each installation requires a minimum of 8 local labourers over at least 3 weeks, with building materials sourced from local Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs).
This means Gauteng’s current 48 facilities have already created at least 384 direct labour opportunities, excluding indirect supply chain jobs.
MEC Maile further connected this strategic partnership to the Department’s ongoing “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child” community outreach programme, which has seen the Department visiting schools, sports hubs and youth development centres across Gauteng to address social challenges affecting young people.
During these outreach visits, the Department conducted site visits at several community-based sports hubs and observed how these facilities are serving as active social anchors in communities — absorbing hundreds of young people through structured sporting programmes, keeping them away from substance abuse, gangsterism, school dropout and criminality.
MEC Maile said these visits provided practical evidence of the role sport plays beyond recreation.
“What we saw during the ‘It Takes a Village to Raise a Child’ outreach programme was deeply instructive. In many of our townships and communities, sports hubs are not just training spaces — they are centres of discipline, social support and protection. They are keeping children off the streets and giving them structure.”
He said many of these community hubs operate with limited resources, aging infrastructure and inadequate equipment, despite their growing social role.
“This is where partnerships such as this one become critical. The Sports Trust can help us strengthen these hubs, formalise their infrastructure, improve accessibility and create sustainable pathways for talent development. This is not just about building courts — it is about building safer communities.”
MEC Maile said the Department is particularly interested in structured collaboration with The Sports Trust in the following areas:
* Expansion of school-based multi-purpose courts
* Revitalisation of township sports hubs
* Equipment support for no-fee schools
* Indigenous games development
* Sports safety and medical support programmes
* Inclusive infrastructure for disabled athletes
* Technical coaching development
* Athlete talent identification pipelines
* School Games expansion
* Recreation infrastructure modernisation
The Sports Trust currently supports multiple sporting codes including rugby, cricket, soccer, athletics, cycling, horse riding, drum majorettes, wheelchair basketball and indigenous games. MEC Maile said this diversity is important because Gauteng’s talent pool is equally diverse and must be nurtured across all sporting disciplines.
He further highlighted the positive relationship between sports participation and academic performance, noting that learners involved in sport often demonstrate stronger attendance, discipline and leadership qualities.
“As a Department responsible for both education and sport, we understand that the learner who plays sport is often the learner who develops discipline, teamwork, focus and resilience. These are not only sporting values — they are educational values.”
MEC Maile concluded that Gauteng’s long-term sporting ambition must be measured not only by medals and trophies, but by the number of facilities built, the number of children reached and the number of lives transformed.
“Vision without numbers is empty. But numbers with vision build systems. Gauteng has the learners, the communities, the talent and the ambition. Through strategic partnerships like this, we can ensure that no talent is wasted because of lack of access, facilities or opportunity.”
SUPPLIED.
