Manzomthombo under 16 netball team. Photo courtesy of Manzomthombo Netball Team.
12 August 2014
The Mfuleni community in Cape Town have been celebrating the success of its high school Netball team in the SA National Championships. The championships were held at Ekurhuleni in Gauteng in August, and the under 16 team from Manzomthombo High School won the tournament.
The school has three netball teams, which are under 14, under 16, and under 19. Frank Xaba has been coaching netball for the past 10 years. He joined Manzomthombo six years ago. Since his arrival, the school has won three provincial championships and represented the Western Cape in the nationals. He attributes the success of the team to the sacrifices made by the learners and their time management.
He says, “They have to balance their curriculum with team practice and avail themselves for competitive games.”
The school principal, John Mathiso, applauds the role played by parents. He says, “The good relationship we enjoy from the parents has made it easier for the school to raise between R10,000 and R12,000 in one week after we’ve asked each parent to contribute R10.”
“Teachers like Xaba need a lot of moral support. He does not only contribute through delivering curriculum, but plays a great role in developing these learners through sport,” says Mathiso
Mathiso is optimistic for the future of the school in sport. He says, “I hope these learners pursue netball beyond high school so that their talent doesn’t vanish. We want to produce national players and if we can win national championships like we did, we will produce national team players.”
Manzomthombo under 16 netball team in national championships. Photo courtesy of Manzomthombo Netball Team.
Both Mathiso and Xaba believe their challenge as a school is a lack of resources.
“We don’t even have a proper court for netball,” says Xaba.
Nevertheless, the school has won a number of awards in various sports.