KSD Municipality is proud to successfully host the inaugural SA Rugby Under-20 Women’s Tournament at Mthatha Stadium. The tournament was in full swing from September 24 until September 28, 2023. Twelve teams competed in the event, which featured 18 games.
The teams include Western Province, Eastern Province, Border, Golden Lions, Blue Bulls, Sharks, SWD, Zimbabwe, Limpopo, Blue Bulls, Free State and Griquas.
Hosting this tournament marks a special historic moment since it was the first time that KSD hosted a tournament of this nature.
Executive Mayor Cllr Nyaniso Nelani stated that hosting the SA Rugby U20 Women’s Week is the beginning of a good start and KSD made sure that the tournament runs well and that all of our visitors are safe.
“The tournament is the first of its kind, especially in KSD, so it opens more doors for us to host other games of this magnitude.”
Addressing the closing ceremony, MEC for the Department of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture, MEC Nonceba Kontsiwe, cited that choosing Mthatha as a host for the tournament had a positive impact on the local economy.
“The hospitality industry has benefited. The transport sector has received a boost and entertainment as well.”
She continued by saying that it is not a mistake that the games are being hosted during heritage month because rugby is a sport that is part of history. Sport is included in heritage along with other areas like art, culture, and languages.
She cited that the talent that the players have shown during the games is an assurance that they are going far, and the participation of women in rugby sport is breaking the stereotype that rugby is a sport for men only.
“Women’s rugby in the Eastern Cape is gaining momentum. The Eastern Cape has been a breeding ground for national teams for many years and today we can speak of leaders that came out of these tournaments, the likes of Mandisa Williams.” She added.
“Earlier this year, we tabled in the MEC Policy Speech the commitment that we are targeting to reach about 120 sports clubs, 15 from each district out of 8 district municipalities, including the metros that we have in the province.”
She alluded that handing over sport equipment and attire is to assist not only sport federations but also those who are not affiliated and non-registered clubs and teams in growing. “We also believe that we can unearth talent even from those that are not under federations.” She said.
The championship games were played on Thursday, with Western Cape winning all the matches after beating Eastern Cape in the last game.