Nkanini Secondary
School of Ermelo, Mpumalanga, won the Piet Retief Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools
Cup Regional final this past week. The school finished third in the cluster
level tournament last week, but was declared the winner after it was found that
the first and second-placed schools had contravened the tournament rules.
So, Nkanini will be
representing the Piet Retief region at the Mpumalanga Provincial finals and the
message has gone out to all participating schools that irregularities will not
be tolerated.
Nkanini team manager,
Thabiso Ndlovu has been at the helm for two years, and this is the school’s
third year in the competition. “This is the first time we will be playing at
provincial level and I am very proud of the boys,” Ndlovu said. He explains
that they have been training hard. “We sometimes invite teams come help with
our training so that they can help us with aspects like muscle-toning and
strength building for the boys. We have also brought in a shooter so we can
train our goalkeeper.”
Available time is one
of their biggest challenges,” Ndlovu said. “We have invited the principal to
most of our matches and he has been working out a plan to give us more time to
train. Now that we are in the provincial finals he is keener to give us more
practise time. He has even taken it upon himself to provide transport and food
for our upcoming games.”
Ndlovu says he always
tries to set an example for the boys by adopting a winning attitude. “I remind
them of the first prize at stake – R1 million for the school. I also tell them
that they mustn’t let conditions at home or in their lives in general impact on
their performance on the field. I always remind them how talented they are. Our
winning formula is to make sure that we focus on one goal and objective - that
is to win our matches and to grow from the ones we didn’t win.”
Ndlovu singles out
striker Siyabonga Hlatswayo as one of his key players. “This boy only recently
started playing for the team and he is already our top goal scorer. He is very
physical and his ball control is very good. Even when he is surrounded by
players from the opposing team he easily manoeuvre his way around them,” Ndlovu
said.
Goalkeeper Mxolisi
Andries Nkambule is another player to watch. “He knows his way around the 18
yard area,” Ndlovu said. “This boy has been playing for the school since last
year and he is disciplined and very aware of what happens around him.”
As far as the
achievements of past pupils are concerned, Ndlovu explains that Siyabonga Hlatswayo’s
brother, Sbusiso Hlatswayo, played for the school in the Sanlam Kay
Motsepe Schools Cup and is now goalkeeper for Bataung FC in Mpumalanga.
Mpumalanga Piet Retief
Cluster Results:
Nkanini 2 Carolina 0,
Lake Chrissie 1 Ndlela 2, Lindile 4 Kwadela 1, Ndlela 4 Nkanini 1.
Final: Lindile 1
Ndlela 0.
Lindile and Ndlela
were both disqualified for infringing with the rules of the tournament
Nkanini Secondary
School finished in third position and was awarded the title.
.
