Lovedale Basketball Tournament launches at Ermelo Sports Inn

The Lovedale Basketball Tournament was launched at the Ermelo Sports Inn on Sunday.

A total of eight teams took part with players from as far as Swaziland and Johannesburg competing.

The teams brought end-to-end action to the delight of spectators as they vied for the number one spot.

Ms Mandisa Lovedale Mkhwanazi founded the tournament with the aim of reviving basketball as a sport and encouraging local players to play and grow the game.

Mandisa brought her vision to life this year, inviting teams from all over Msukaligwa to participate.

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“We do not have big tournaments in Mpumalanga, especially in the Gert Sibande District and that discourages players who want to make it far in the sport,” she said.

Her vision is to hold the tournament annually and expand it to a weekend.

Currently based in Ermelo, she hopes that with the right funding, the tournament will be hosted by various towns around Gert Sibande.

Unidos from Secunda was crowned champions, receiving gold medals donated by the Msukaligwa Sports Council.

They also won a cash prize of R2 000.

KTC from Johannesburg took the second spot, silver medals and a cash prize of R1 000.

Manzini Supersport from Swaziland rounded off the podium finishes, taking home the bronze medals.

Andile Hlophe from KTC won the Most Valuable Player(MVP) of the tournament trophy as well as a R100 cash prize.

The tournament will be held in December every year.

“I would like to thank every person who contributed to the success of the tournament including but not limited to Ermelo Spar, Msukaligwa Sports Council and Gert Sibande Basketball Association,” Mandisa said.