All Stars and City win crime and GBV awareness tournament
The competition started on June 16.
MK All Stars and Mokgoba City clinched the Sports Against Crime and GBV Awareness Tournament held in Mayfield on June 21.
All Stars walked away with the U17 title after defeating Untouchable Stars in the final, while Mokgoba City were crowned U15 champions following their win over Foster Stars.
The tournament was organised by Putfontein SAPS and the station’s Victim Empowerment Centre (VEC) in honour of Youth Month. Its goal was to motivate and inspire young people to become something in life rather than resorting to crime.
“We looked at the crime statistics in the area and realised it’s mostly young people who commit crime. We then organised this tournament to raise awareness that crime doesn’t pay,” said VEC floor manager and GBV activist, Tumi Pule.
Speaking on GBV, Pule explained that the issue is rife in the area, and that the tournament helped spread the message that domestic violence and crime are not solutions.
She urged the community to stand united against both crime and GBV, saying, “We should stand together as a community. No one is above the law.”
“Each and every case is important. If you can no longer stay in a relationship or you feel threatened, please go to the police or social workers to get help.”
One of Pule’s main concerns during the tournament was the nicknames given to the footballers. While some players were nicknamed after professional athletes like Bernard Parker and Thembinkosi Lorch, others had names such as ‘Drug Dealer’ and ‘Horror’.
Pule emphasised the importance of giving players names that uplift and empower them.
“In Setswana we say Lebitso lebe ke seromo – a bad name is a curse. I’m not happy with these nicknames. We’ll talk to the coaches about giving these boys names they can resonate with positively. If you are called ‘Lion’, you may become a lion.”
Putfontein SAPS Sergeant Raider Ubisi hailed the tournament as a success and thanked hip-hop artist Fifi Cooper, along with other local performers, for entertaining and inspiring the youth to avoid substance abuse.
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