Nie Cele
Three Gauteng based prominent schools scored big at the high octane Sanlam Kay Motsepe provincial championships football tourney finals held at Clapham High School in Tshwane, Pretoria this past Saturday.
This Motsepe Foundation brainchild , in conjunction with Sanlam, South Africa Football Association, Department of Basic Education and Department of Sports, Arts and Culture is widely popular for bringing together more than 10 000 schools teams across South Africa to compete in various sports , promoting youth development , leadership and community engagement.
Furthermore, the championship seeks to empower young athletes by offering a platform to showcase their talents and develop life skills.
On Saturday, this provincial annual schools tournament also culminated as a dress rehearsal for the National championships expected to be held between 06 – 11 October 2025.
On the day, this competition attracted scores of fans, parents and departmental representatives and football scouts.
Under this auspices schools compete annually for coveted trophies and staggering prize money. At first schools compete in nine provincial finals, with the winners from each province advancing to the national competition to battle it out for the overall title.
BACK TO THE STORY!!!
On the day each school played a total of 4 matches to reach the finals. These matches featured Boys under 19, Boys under 13 and Girls under 13.
After a tough pulsating group matches a final six schools who emerged as group winners went on slug it out in the finals and winners were crowned champions.
On the Girls under 13, Soweto based Donaldson Primary School was crowned champions, Boys under 13 Pretoria based Queemswood Laerskool also won, While Clapham High School, famous for football due to its numerous national and continental a were also winners for the Boys under 19 category.
On the sidelines Peter Ledwaba of Motsepe Foundation told this publication this 21 years old competition was growing in leaps and bounds, adding that more than a dozen of Bafana Bafana current crop of players played in this tournament during their prime years .
“The main driver of this tournament is Patrice Motsepe, Mamelodi Sundowns FC owner who has the love for the development of football.”
Ledwaba also explained that prize money does not go to schools directly in cash, but used the money for the upliftment and needs of the schools infrastructure and schools development programmes.
Twice Makhola of Gauteng Schools Football Structure said, the department has achieved a lot and this was a sign that Wednesday school football was alive and kicking.
“This tournament has produced a lot of professional footballers especially from disadvantaged families.”
He also lamented about the inadequate football facilities that resulted in sharing of grounds and delaying the regularly playing of school football matches.
DID YOU KNOW?
Winners of the Under 13 boys and girls schools walked home with a prize money of R100 000 each, While under 19 Boys school got R150 000.
Clapham High School is recognized as a top footballing institution in Mzansi, partly due to its partnership with Mamelodi Sundowns Football academy.
Clapham is also famous for winning the inaugural CAF African Schools Football Championships qualifiers in 2023 and being a previous Kay Motsepe titleholder on the boys category.
