Siphumelele Primary School win the KZN Danone Nations Cup

Siphumelele Primary School win the KZN Danone Nations Cup provincial finals and are a step closer to playing in London.

Siphumelele Primary School from Ezimangweni informal settlement, near Inanda in KwaZulu-Natal join Rietrivier Primary School from the Northern Cape in waiting for seven other primary schools to emerge from the pack ahead of the Danone Nations Cup National Finals that will be played in Johannesburg later in the year.

Siphumelele won the KwaZulu-Natal provincial title of the under-12 tournament at the King   Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi last weekend, beating host school, Ndongeni Primary School, on penalties, after the final ended in a 1-all draw. As provincial winners, they now go through to the National Finals where they will be given the opportunity to reach for their ultimate dream – a trip to London to play in the Danone Nations Cup World Finals.

Siphumelele Primary School coach, Sibusiso Phakathi, says the boys are excited about the trip to Johannesburg for the National Finals. “Some of them have never been anywhere outside KZN and will be travelling such a longer distance for the first time. We didn’t expect to reach the national finals on our first attempt. I know we are going to face eight other teams in June, but us making it thus far shows what we are capable of, and anything is possible,” he said. 

Phakathi said his team made it through to the next stage because of hard work and the support they got from the parents and the school.  “We trained four days a week in preparation for this tournament and every time we had to travel - to cluster and regional games - the school and SGB made sure we had food for the boys as well as water, and the school nominated two teachers to travel with us.”

Winning the national title would mean a lot for the boys, the school and the province, Phakathi said. “I think all the schools that participate would agree that the ultimate wish for all of us is to represent the country in London. We all would like our kids to get that once in a life time opportunity.”

The competition now takes a break because of the school holidays. The next Provincial Final tournament is in the Free State on April 13.

The Danone Nations Cup has been running since 2000. The tournament is based on the belief that sport promotes strong values, and is an essential element in the balance and upbringing of children. The Danone Nations Cup is built on four fundamental values: enthusiasm, openness, proximity and fair play

RESULTS – KWAZULU NATAL PROVINCIAL FINALS

POOL A

Woodford Primary School 1 (3) vs Imzikayifani Primary School 1 (2)

Imzikayifani Primary School 0 vs Uphaphazi Primary School 2

Uphaphazi Primary School 0 vs Woodford Primary School 1

POOL B

Inkatha Primary School 0 vs Empathe Combined School 1

Empathe Combined School 0 vs Enkelabantwana Full Service School 3

Enkelabantwana Full Service School 2 vs  Inkatha Primary School  0

POOL C

Sipheni Senior Primary School 1 (2) vs Maqumbi Primary School 1 (1)

Maqumbi Primary School 1 vs Ndongeni Primary School 2

Ndongeni Primary School 0 (2) vs Sipheni Senior Primary School 0 (0)

POOL D

Taylors Primary School 0 vs Siphumelele Primary School 1

Siphumelele Primary School 2 vs Esukangihlale CP School 1

Esukangihlale CP School 0 (2) vs Taylors Primary School 0 (3)

SEMIFINAL 1

Woodford Primary School 0 (1) vs Siphumelele Primary School 0 (2)

SEMIFINAL 2

Enkelabantwana Full Service School 0 vs Ndongeni Primary School 1

FINAL

Siphumelele Primary School 1 (3) vs Ndongeni Primary School 1 (1)