SRSA's 2015 Indigenous Games

Despite the millions of rands expended by SRSA on the 2015 Indigenous Games, the games went off barely being noticed by the press and citizens of South Africa.

SRSA's website advertising the event captured 0n 24/9/2015

The games were apparently held somewhere up in Pretoria from 18th September to 24 September (according to SRSA's website).

Theoretically, in terms of the law, SRSA is supposed to run the championships strictly to the National Federation's rules.

But do they?

As far as I am aware, SRSA and MSSA are at odds over the event. SRSA apparently does not use accepted rules and as such gamers that participate in SRSA's event are excluded from recognition for Morabaraba at Regional, Provincial and National level.

A sad state of affairs.

From POWERFM's website

However, back to 2015. I then see today that the dear Minister (Fikile Mbabula) was interviewed on "POWER98.7" on 17 September 2015, wherein he stated " the City of Polokwane  hosting the week’s long programme of events from the 20th to the 24th of September 2015."

So, if you are interested in going to watch this spectacle, where would you go - Pretoria or Polokwane?

And when does it start? A two day difference is really quite a lot!

I suppose at least they got the final date correct - I mean that is when they will have their award ceremony and of course, no doubt, the usual closing ceremony.

It is always interesting to see how taxpayer money is 'spent'.

Quotas out - transformation is in!

Xola Magwaza at the 2009 IeSF Challenge

It was pleasing to see that the Sports Minister, the Hon. Fikile Mbabula backed down on the issue of quotas.

Quotas are a very dirty word for many people in South Africa.

Even a recent South African court case declared quotas to be illegal in business,

However, even with the Minister back-tracking on the issues of quotas, the Minister, and SASCOC, are dedicated to the issue of transformation.

Of course, transformation does not just apply to the sporting teams, but to the entire structure of the sports code from the athletes, coaches, technical officials, and administrators.

This of course, poses various problems for the sporting codes as most coaches, technical officials, and administrators are in fact volunteers.

Volunteers are, as we all know, people who do something for free out of the love and passion that they have for the game. Without the volunteers in any sports structure, the federations themselves will surely buckle under the weight of having to find additional resources to pay those who demand to be paid for the jobs that volunteers are doing for free.

Thus in a volunteer organisation, it seems as though transformation will be a slower process as it will take time to develop the ethos of volunteerism?

I do not believe so!

Sporting bodies are no different to churches. Churches often survive in the most adverse of conditions. Churches survive without government aid and purely upon the contributions of the membership. The contributions consist of financial, time, effort and skills.

It all depends in what you really believe, and what you

want to see happen.

For the members of a church group, of any religion, it is the promotion of their beliefs.

Why then do gamers shy away from the same level commitment in promoting eSports? After all more gamers put more time into gaming than into any other activity that they do. Gamers get far more pleasure out of eSports than from any other activity. Gamers should then treat gaming as if it were there religion and put more back.

With more volunteers from across the board, total transformation will be achieved very quickly indeed, and we can then all move on from worrying about politics and getting down to the business at hand, and that is, playing the game!

Simphiwe Maphumulo elected as MSSA president!

Incredibly only after 19 years of democracy in South Africa, has the MSSA elected in its first black president at its Annual general Meeting held on Sunday, 8 December 2013.

The funny thing is that there are bloggers out there that consider the election of Simphiwe Maphumulo as president to be less than democratic..... One can only laugh!

But who is Simphiwe, and what is his pedigree?

Simphiwe, who comes from Pietermaritzburg, has been a continuously registered player since 2001. Not only that, but Simphiwe has won many Provincial and National Championships in the game of Morabaraba.

But Simphiwe is not just a local champion. According to the MSSA's facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/mindsportssa), Simphiwe has also won the following international championships:

• 2003 Junior World Championships
• 2003 Senior World Championships
• 2012 Senior World Championships
• 2013 Senior World Championships

Simphiwe was too awarded the S A Sports Awards Indigenous Sports Star of the Year Award, and reputedly walked away with a substantial cheque. The award was given by the Hon. Fikile Mbabula (Minister of Sport and Recreation). (http://www.sasportsawards.com/index.php/nominees)

It also seems as though SASCOC is happy with the choice that the MSSA's member clubs have made. In a recent posting made on the MSSA facebook page, it is reported that SASCOC president, Mr Gideon Sam stated:

"Please pass on to Simphiwe my personal congratulations on his election to be the president of MSSA. I look forward to a strong and lengthy relationship with him."

SASCOC is of course THE governing body for sport in South Africa. It is the body that selects teams for the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Commonwealth Games, African Games and others.

Thus, it seems as though the MSSA will have a great 2014!