JUKSKEI is a sport played in a field that has two sand pits separated by a patch of grass in the middle. The equipment required for playing the game are wooden pins, known as Skeis and a target wooden peg.

Jannie van der Merwe of the Self-Help Association for the Seniors (Shafts) who coaches senior citizens to play Jukskei in Margate Retirement Village said the game is considered to be one of the most difficult sports in the world.

”Even us as coaches, at times we have trouble translating the complex and technical rules into simple terms for amateurs and newcomers.”

”But the main objective of the sport is to knock down the target peg by throwing the pins at the peg,” said Jannie.

Research has shown that, ”Jukskei was developed over 200 years ago in South Africa, and is traditionally associated with Afrikaners. In 2001 the game was chosen by the South African government as one of the sports to be included in the Indigenous Games Project.”

”Since then the game has gained popularity with young people of all cultures. Jukskei in South Africa is played at schools, clubs and provincial levels; there is also an annual tournament in Kroonstad, Free State. Jukskei is also being played in Namibia and the USA.”

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Jannie said that the game is usually played between two teams of four players each, of whom one is the captain, but it can also be played in pairs or singles.

”The target peg is placed in one of the sand pits and the players have to strike if from the end of the other pit,” he said.

Each team player gets to throw two Skeis during their turn. A team scores points every time the peg has been knocked down. At the end of the game, the team that has the Skei closest to the peg wins.

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