Provincial success at indigenous games

Team KwaZulu-Natal defended the National Indigenous Games (IGs) title, dominating the competition and claiming the first prize for the fourth time in a row.

The team won gold in dibeke, khokho, amagende (stones), incuva, inqathu (skipping), umlabalaba, boxing and juskei (development). The Jukskei Elite team, which contained two local Jukskei players, Petro Marais and Lucas Snyman, claimed bronze medals.

The 180-strong team, consisting of athletes and support staff had left KZN last week confident of victory due to the intense preparations athletes had undergone ahead of the tournament. Speaking during a three-day camp in Newcastle before heading to Pretoria, both athletes and coaching staff were confident of making the people of KZN proud.

Having beaten competition from the North West and Limpopo who came second and third respectively in the 2014 competition, the success by KwaZulu-Natal augurs well for the promotion and preservation of the province’s cultural heritage through sport and recreation.

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport and Recreation is investing enormous resources to ensure this form of sport continues to be enjoyed by the generations to come.

While there is a competitive spirit among participants, the Indigenous Games Festival has become a family orientated event with activities for young and old, highlighting the celebration of South Africa’s Heritage Month.

Other sport codes that form the indigenous games include drie stokkies and induku (stick fighting). Although there is no age restriction, participants are categorised into different age groups in contact sport like stick fighting.

For the first time, regular registered jukskei players also participated together with the development players and KZN very proudly attained a bronze medal in this section.