GWRI struggle to stay afloat

The Gauteng Women’s Rugby Institute was left destitute after they were evicted from their residence last month.
According to the programme’s manager, Jaco Coetzer, the group moved out after they failed to pay the municipal rates for the hostel.
The hostel is the former Dr Johan Jurgens High School female residence, located on the corner of Wit and Colliery Roads in Springs.
“When we moved in during March 2021, the agreement was we maintain the buildings and grounds and take care of the rates and electricity.
“It has been very difficult. These girls are so talented. They need all the support they can get from the community.
“We are not ready to give up on this dream,” explained Coetzer.
Established in early 2021, the institute houses 40 girls and it completely depends on sponsors to stay afloat.
The hostel is part of GWRI’s Women’s High-Performance Rugby Career Development Programme and is the first of its kind in Africa.

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It aims to attract and develop some of the best female rugby players in the country.
The programme also involved finding talented women from all over the country.
Coetzer admits they had challenges in sticking to their end of the agreement.
“Taking care of these players without much support has been a hassle from the beginning. And it is a shame because they are good at what they are doing,” he added.
Some of the players are members of the national women’s team. They are also involved in programmes to coach other young players, as a way of giving back to the community.
“There are a lot of promises to help us, but many of them were not fulfilled.
“It breaks my heart because I cannot imagine what will happen to some of these players if we had to close our doors permanently,” said Coetzer.
He added that the hostel’s rates were over R200 000 by December 2021, as the organisation continued to struggle.
The organisation, with the players, have since evacuated the hostel.
They are appealing for sponsorship to help keep the institute running.
Dr Johan Jurgens High School had not responded to the Advertiser’s inquiry at the time of publication.

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