Ukhanyo on sporting fire!

By Vince van der Bijl.  Photos by Nceba Jonas and Teddy Nyali

Three days in the life of Ukhanyo: showing the school’s uniqueness, its energy and how they are breaking down barriers in building confident and positive kids to be the foundation of the next SA generation.

DAY ONE:  Wednesday 4th September

A chance meeting between a Ukhanyo grade one teacher and Mr Jillana from Lukela PS in Masiphumelele led to five Ukhanyo teams going to Lukela PS in Khayelitsha. This interaction shows that teachers are now constantly looking for broader opportunities for the learners and that is a significant and important shift.

What a day and what great experiences in forging new relationships with schools outside the Southern Valley and making new friends. 

The results: 

Ukhanyo netball under 13 team won 10-4 and the under 11s drew 6 all

Ukhanyo rugby under 11 teams won 35-5 and the under 13s 20-10

Ukhanyo soccer under 13 team lost on penalties

Many thanks Mr Jillana and Lukela PS!

DAY TWO: Thursday 5th September

Two netball official school league matches played at Kommetjie. The Kommetjie/Ukhanyo relationship is excellent. They in fact, hosted the first cricket match Ukhanyo played in school colours in 2017. The report from Fez and Pam said that the afternoon was exceptional in the way the game was played by both sides, the standard and the chats after the game. So Important.

 The results : The under 13 team won 4-0 and the under 10s won 4-1

 Netball in Masiphumelele High school:

Nceba and Phila met the under 14 and 15 netball girls and relevant staff members at Masiphumelele High School to announce the coaching structure and practice schedule starting on Monday 9th September. 

Now that the netball court has been refurbished and new posts bought thanks to funds donated by the Trustees of the Rolf-Stephan Nussbaum Foundation, netball will be practiced right after school at 3:15pm. Previously the practices were intermittent and had to be unsatisfactorily conducted at Ukhanyo Primary School in the early evening and the standard of netball has dropped considerable.

Phila who coaches at Ukhanyo two days a week will coach the under 14 and 15 Masi HS netball teams and Nceba the under 16 and open teams: both twice a week. 

 This is an exciting development with the help of Coolplay, whose life skills training is used at the beginning of each practice. They are key partners in assisting us build the next generation of confident positive citizens. Masicorp funds and runs Life skills and learning labs at Ukhanyo, supporting education excellence and helping us to provide a platform for well-rounded strong young girls and boys.

It is important to note that with the current increased violence against women, the life skills training includes discussions on respect between girls and boys and examples of how this can be practiced. Gender mixed teams assists this process too.

Fish Hoek PS under 13 rugby team comes to see Ukhanyo and play soccer!

Teddy was delighted to host the FHPS under 13 rugby team at Ukhanyo. They came with head coach, Byron Compton, to see the facilities and experience the 40×20 astro-turf surface field donated by Let’s Play, Builders and Hitachi. They had great fun in a friendly soccer match to play on our new surfaces and integrate with the Ukhanyo coaches and players. A great success

DAY THREE – Most of the Ukhanyo staff at the ACJ Phakande visit on Saturday 24th August

30 staff members including the Principal and V-Ps attended the sports day at the Strand – a day which extended 12 hours for the staff, coaches and the 90 Ukhanyo kids!

I felt this needed special mention to illustrate the dedication and commitment of the wonderful staff headed by Mr Michael Thyali. The kids just loved having the staff watch them and see their skills as did the staff when they saw the depth of talent at the school.

The strength of teacher/learner relationships are deepened and extended through time spent outside the classroom, where both learners and staff feel and see the different facets of each other at play.

The Learners saw their coaches and staff playing the first netball match of the day against the staff and coaches of ACL Phakande. How the learners enjoyed seeing their tutors at play and playing so well to win. That first staff match set the tone for a whole day filled with joy and great sport.