Transnet Rural and Farm Schools Tournament, a success

The festivities kicked off on Monday, 23 September 2013, with the opening ceremony featuring inspiring speakers and entertainment, finishing off with a fireworks display.

Tournaments for netball, football, athletics and - recently introduced for its benefits for cognitive development - chess, took place over the three days. These games were played by girls and boys between the ages of 13 and 19, all of them coached by trained staff.

The tournament concluded with a gala dinner and prizegiving on Wednesday, 25 September 2013.

Many awards were given out during the ceremony. Best province of 2013 was given to the Free State, second place went to KwaZulu-Natal and third place to Eastern Cape.

Top medal winners

The Free State once again shone during this tournament. Their teams dominated the chess category and walked away with gold medals for the under-13, under-15 and under-17 teams. Both the girls and boys football teams in the under-17 age group were awarded with gold medals. The under-17 netball team from the Free State also secured gold.

Even though the Free State had the most medals in the athletics category, KwaZulu-Natal walked away with 22 gold medals. Other provinces were also under the spotlight - Mpumalanga won gold for their under-13 netball team and Limpopo secured gold for their under-13 girls and boys football teams, as well as the under-15 girls' football team.

As a result of this tournament, children participating in this programme have been presented with opportunities that they normally would not have had access to without Transnet Foundation's assistance.

The tournament has grown and become a rewarding opportunity for all those involved. Now in its eleventh year, and proudly holding its own, the event was attended by dignitaries, sport celebrities and Transnet executives all in full support of South Africa's rising sports stars at the Boksburg Stadium.

Studies have shown the positive impact of team sports on the development of young people. Overall, they do better academically, and are more likely to matriculate, get a tertiary education or learn a trade and find jobs. Children who participate in these group activities attend more school, get into less trouble and are closer to their community.

Targeting rural and isolated areas

With this in mind, the Transnet Foundation felt obliged to go the extra mile and use their expertise and resources for the social benefit of all South Africans. They used money from their budget to launch this programme in 2002, specifically targeting the more rural and isolated areas.

To help learners and their caregivers focus on competing and enjoying their time, the Transnet Foundation has provided transportation and accommodation for all the participants - 20 schools per province in all seven of our provinces for the duration of the event.

Bakamela Rai, a mathematics teacher from QwaQwa, has been involved with the Transnet Rural and Farm Schools Programme since it started, having been trained as a coach, Bakamela reports that "the children themselves noticed an improvement in their focusing abilities, thieve mentioned that they're able to concentrate better and have improved reasoning capacity" - these are benefits from playing chess.

Annually, Transnet spends between R140-million and R160-million directly through the foundation and the other R20-million through other divisions.

For more information on the Rural and Farm Schools Sport Programme, contact Sibusiso Ngomane on +27 (0)780989546 or go to www.transnetfoundation.co.za.