24 Oct 2013

Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture, Mr Shaw Kgathi recently donated 300 balls to 19 schools in the Bobirwa constituency.

Speaking at the hand over, Minister Kgathi said the balls were meant for football, netball and volleyball, adding that sport development will only be a success if the right sporting equipment was availed to children of the right age.

“In the past sports development was hampered by providing young people with the wrong type of equipment which was not effective for their tender age. We want to correct that mistake,” he said.

The balls were presented by World Group of Companies directors, Messers Rafik Sardar and Salim Sheik who had accompanied Mr Kgathi to the handover. Mr Kgathi said the balls would help promote sports development as students will now be able to adequately prepare for tournaments using the right equipment.

He thanked the World Group of Companies for their donation and explained that the donation was part of a sport development pilot project that will be extended to other districts. He said the project is called “lore lo ojwa lo sale matse” or “catch them while they are young”.

“We expect this project to yield results and enable the country to qualify for major sporting events like the World Cup and the Olympics. This project aims to sow seed of success,” he said.

Mr Kgathi urged learners to use the balls to develop their sporting skills and emulate great sports people in the world. He urged the learners to develop their skills by competing amongst themselves and urged parents to encourage their children by buying them sports regalia and giving them time to play sports.

Mr Kgathi further revealed that the World Group of Companies has promised to buy school uniforms for every child in the constituency if parents unanimously agree on the right colors for the uniform.

For his part, Bobirwa sub district chairperson Mr Ishamel Legwaila appealed to the school authorities to ensure that every child benefits from the donation, and further urged them to look after the equipment. ENDS