Stanza Bopape High School has been crowned the inaugural Masakhane cup champion in Mamelodi.
The inter-high school football tournament started in July where schools from Mamelodi competed in the round robin phase. The best eight teams played for a place in the semis last week at the Central grounds in Mamelodi West.
In the end, Mamelodi High and Stanza Bopape met in the final on Friday, and two goals in the second half were enough to hand Stanza Bopape the trophy and bragging rights.
The tournament is an affiliate of the SA Masters and Legends Football Association under the Mamelodi Local Football Association.
The sponsors included Mamelodi Sundowns and Dru Con Engineering and Construction.
As winners, Stanza Bopape walked away with R15 000, runners-up took R10 000 and third placed Jafta Mahlangu High got R7 000 while a fourth place finish earned Phateng Secondary R3 000.
In attendance, were a number of soccer legends and former Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba and Jan Lechaba.
“Our vision is to revive school sports so as to have a sports bursary for professional athletes in Mamelodi like in the past,” said tournament director John Skhosana.
“Our dream is to see Mamelodi thriving in all sporting competitions.”
READ MORE: School soccer tournament lights up Mams
Skhosana said for the tournament to be a huge success, the schools and the community had to get behind it.
“We plead with the schools, especially principals, to get behind this initiative. I understand that studies are very important that’s why the tournament takes place between July and September so that it does not clash with exams. Our wish is to see more teachers and parents involved in the future to grow this tournament.
“Although our initial goal was to make this a local soccer tournament, many teachers in our schools have approached us and asked if we could include netball. At the moment, we don’t have a budget for a netball tournament, but we have welcomed the schools to compete during the tournament and the winning school will be awarded medals during the ceremony in the finals,” he said.
Skhosana said tournaments like these will help create a drug-free environment.
“If our children can spend most of their afternoons playing soccer and getting involved in this tournament, then it’s good for the community in the sense that they are away from drugs and alcohol. For that to happen, we need the schools, community and football legends to work together.”
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