9 April 2006
Western Cape MEC for Cultural Affairs and Sport Whitey Jacobs announced a
high performance scholarship programme awarded to Babalwa Ndleleni-Ramatlapo.
This announcement was made a gala dinner organised by Zakes Siyalana Athletics
Club in partnership with Gugulethu Business Community to celebrate Babalwa's
recent achievements at the Commonwealth Games. This dinner, held at Gugulethu
Sport Complex yesterday, was attended by about 300 guests. It followed a
motorcade parading Babalwa's medal through the streets of Gugulethu, Nyanga and
Crossroads earlier in the day. Hereunder is a letter written by MEC Jacobs,
which he presented at the dinner last night.
8 April 2006
Babalwa Ndleleni- Ramatlapo
NY 61, No 2
Gugulethu
Cape Town
Acknowledgement of Commonwealth Games Achievement
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport acknowledge with great pride
your outstanding sporting accomplishment at the recent Commonwealth Games held
in Melbourne, Australia.
The bronze medal that you achieved in weight lifting, thereby becoming the
first African women ever to win a Commonwealth medal in this sport makes this
even more special. Through this achievement you brought much pride to the
people of Gugulethu, Nyanga, Crossroads, Langa, the Cape Flats, the Western
Cape, South Africa and the rest of Africa.
Your achievement is even more special given the fact that you did not have
access to the best facilities and resources available to prepare you for this
great achievement.
To ensure that you will be even better prepared and able to achieve even
more medals at the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing it gives me great pleasure to
inform you that the Department through the Western Cape Sports Academy will
offer you an individual scholarship programme for a year.
This programme will entail:
* A scientist, Mr Nceba Hene, will make an assessment and advise the Academy
of a recommended programme.
* The programme will consists of the following sports science and medical
services depending on the final recommendations:
- medical assessment
- musco skeletal assessment
- nutritional assessment
- scientific exercise program
- access to training facilities (conducive to your needs)
- physiotherapy services (when needed)
- access to high performance coaching
- any other support required based on the needs assessment
I hope that this intervention will make a contribution to your further
development and that you will be able to bring back a gold medal from the
Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Everything of the best for the future.
Yours truly,
W Jacobs
MEC
Enquiries:
Mandla Yeki
Spokesperson: Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport
Tel: (021) 483 9804
Issued by: Office of the MEC for Cultural Affairs and Sport, Western Cape
Provincial Government
9 April 2006
