Manie van den Berg of Secunda bids wrestling world farewell

SECUNDA – Mr Manie van den Berg, secretary-general of the South African Wrestling Federation and well-known coach in wrestling circles, is retiring after 45 years in the wrestling world.

Mr Van den Berg began his career in wrestling in 1975 at Unicor Wrestling Club in Evander in Mpumalanga (called South Eastern Transvaal in early years) as a parent when his son, Mr Johan van den Berg, also a wrestling coach now, was five years old.

Mr Manie van den Berg immediately became involved with the administrative side of wrestling and during the club’s April 1975 special general meeting, he was elected as the chairman of the Unicor Wrestling Club.

He held this position for 20 years and with the help of his team ran the club like a well-oiled machine.

The club soon became the number 1 club in wrestling in the South Eastern Transvaal in those years and remained the best wrestling club form many years.

Mr Van den Berg moved over to Sasol Wrestling Club in Secunda in 1995 as a patron and a member of the club’s executive management until October last year.

It came as no surprise when he was elected to join the South Eastern Transvaal executive management in 1982.

He served in several positions on the executive management, including secretary-general, assistant secretary, assistant treasurer and vice president.

He served on this executive management until 2000.

Mr Van den Berg is a lifelong honorary member of the Mpumalanga Wrestling Association and Sasol Wrestling Club.

He became a member of the executive management of the South African Wrestling Federation in 1993 and he resigned as secretary of the South Eastern Transvaal (Mpumalanga) federation in 1996 when he was elected as secretary-general of the South African Wrestling Federation.

He was elected as the vice president of this federation in 2013 and now it is time for Mr Van den Berg to retire.