Team Western Cape delivers at Indigenous Games Festival

Pride, Culture, Heritage and a spirit of team work are the key words that would describe Team Western Cape's performance at the Indigenous Games festival in Polokwane, Limpopo province, on the 5th and 6th of September 2003.

Team Western Cape participated in six of the eight sporting codes represented at the games. These included Dibeke, Intonga, Morabaraba, Jukskei, Diketo and Kgati. The other two games were Kho Kho and Moruba.

The team walked away with the silver medal for Jukskei, while the award for best female development player was given to Khululwa Vane from Khayelitsha for her participation in the game. Team Western Cape's spectacular performance in Jukskei was further recognised when the award for best-advanced male player in Jukskei was given to Candy Philani.

Although not mentioned in the closing ceremony, the official results also indicate that the best female Morabaraba player went to Charlene Williams from Worcester. The significance of this achievement should not be overlooked, given that Morabaraba is a game that originates in the African culture. It was traditionally used as a tool to select advisers to a King's council.

The infectious spirit and enthusiasm displayed by the team was enough to persuade a journalist who was invited to accompany it at the eleventh hour, Rodney Lever from CCFM, to replace a Dibeke player who was injured at the start of the games. As a quota payer, his name has now been forwarded to the South African Sports Commission for the national Dibeke team.

Head of the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Advocate Rod Solomons, says, "I congratulate the team on its performance and encourage them to sustain their efforts as it is events like these that promote a better understanding of the different cultures that exist within South Africa."

According to Western Cape Director of Sport and Recreation, TJ Kambule, "The most wonderful outcome of the event is that we took many people by surprise because they never imagined that we would be sending a team to participate in Intonga - stick fighting. The fact that we had such a team and that it won the respect of participants from other provinces is testimony of the development strides that are being realised in the Western Cape mainstream of sport and recreation."

In conclusion, the presence and admirable performance of Team Western Cape at the first South African Indigenous Games festival is an indication of the province's commitment to nurturing and sustaining culture and tradition in mainstream sport and recreation.

Compiled by: Anthea Abraham
Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Marketing and Communication
Tel: 021 483 3191