Forty players from the Kanyamazane Hockey Club in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga Province are the proud owners of brand-new uniforms following a sponsorship by the Proud of my Town programme. Each of the four coaches also received tracksuits and PoMT will also be sponsoring equipment to the club.
Coach Robert Chiloane, also the club chairperson, established the Kanyamazane Hockey Club in 2013 to provide the young people in the township with a healthy and positive space to engage, develop sporting skills and socialise.
“By getting the children involved in hockey, we want them to shy away from drugs and crime – and try and reduce teenage pregnancies. We are proud about the fact that our club has produced talented players who are now playing in high-performing teams in Mpumalanga, as well as in University hockey teams,” says Chiloane.
The club is affiliated to the Mpumalanga Hockey Association and is registered in the second league. It currently consists of players from various schools, including Tiphembeleni Primary, Masihambisane and Lekazi and has won the league championship and knockout plate trophy, as well as being nominated for sportsmanship awards for both the men’s and ladies’ team on several occasions.
Above: The Kanyamazane Hockey Club Boys’ Team with (back row, left to right): Phoka Ntsoereng (Public Sector, Commercial and Small Business Banking Manager, Nedbank); Misty Reingruber, Mpumalanga Hockey Association: Coaching & High Performance portfolio; Robert Chiloane (Coach & Club Manager); Snowy Gondwe, Deputy Chief Educational Specialist: Mpumalanga Department of Education; Loderick Lubisi (Provincial General Manager: Limpopo/Mpumalanga, Nedbank); Sithembiso Malevu (Programme Manager, Ranyaka Community Transformation) and Claude Keena (Provincial Sales Manager, Nedbank Limpopo and Mpumalanga)
Boosting confidence
During the past three seasons, the club members had to play without matching kits. “This discouraged the children,” says Chiloane. “Now they are motivated and their spirits have been boosted and we will participate in the league with confidence!”
Coach Chiloane is responsible for hockey transformation in the province under the Mpumalanga Hockey Association. He also coaches the Mpumalanga u/21 team and holds the position of Vice President of the Ehlanzeni Hockey League.
Above: The Kanyamazane Hockey Club Girls’ Team with (back row, left to right): Phoka Ntsoereng (Public Sector, Commercial and Small Business Banking Manager, Nedbank); Misty Reingruber, Mpumalanga Hockey Association: Coaching & High Performance portfolio; Robert Chiloane (Coach & Club Manager); Snowy Gondwe, Deputy Chief Educational Specialist: Mpumalanga Department of Education; Loderick Lubisi (Provincial General Manager: Limpopo/Mpumalanga, Nedbank); Sithembiso Malevu (Programme Manager, Ranyaka Community Transformation) and Claude Keena (Provincial Sales Manager, Nedbank Limpopo and Mpumalanga)
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Sport, Art and Culture is one of ten programmes that forms part of the holistic PoMT model. Other programmes we are starting to tackle in Kanyamazane in partnership with the community and other local stakeholders include Building Business (enterprise development and entrepreneurial support), Strong Schools, Fix Your Space and Community Safety.
Kanyamazane is one of 13 communities that is part of Nedbank‘s Proud of my Town initiative being implemented by Ranyaka across South Africa.