DBE, CSA signs MOU with SRSA to fast-track school sport development
Cricket South Africa (CSA) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) as well as Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) to accelerate the development and transformation in South African cricket with particular emphasis for schools sport.
“This is one of the most significant partnerships we have ever formed,” commented CSA President, Chris Nenzani. “It will enable us to combine the resources of all three organisations, both material and human, to take on the biggest challenge facing us at the moment; to level the playing fields at schools cricket level.
“This initiative will support the existing CSA pipeline plans so that meaningful growth in the quality and number of schools playing cricket can be achieved. The emphasis of this collaboration will be on developing cricket in township and rural schools where opportunities to play the game have been previously limited.
“Schools sport is the bedrock of development for elite sports, not only in South Africa, but around the world. There are advantages for children in playing sport that go way beyond the game of cricket. If they are meaningfully occupied on the sports field they are far less likely to get involved in anti-social behaviour and bad lifestyles and are likely to be far better achievers in the classroom as well.
“We welcome the support of these two Government Departments very warmly. Overcoming more than a century of neglect of the majority of our school children is something that is beyond the resources of any individual sporting code.
“Therefore, let us roll up our sleeves, join hands and work for a very bright future. In the spirit of our transformation indaba of 2013 may we say: Mayenzeke.....Let it happen!” concluded Mr. Nenzani.
In terms of the roles and responsibilities of each party CSA undertakes the following:
- To establish and extend the Cricket Hubs in collaboration with the Parties.
- To develop cricketers at its Cricket Hubs, Regional Performance Centres and Provincial Academies
- To run cluster leagues to feed into the School Sport Programme in the identified Hubs
- Ensure the establishment of Cricket Code Committees at District, Provincial and National levels
- To provide support to integrate the elite cricketers into the CSA High Performance Programmes through CSA’s existing integrated system of Talent Scouts, Coaching Mentors and Sports Science Programmes.
- To support worthy educational and sporting causes, from time to time, as identified by the parties
Mrs Angie Motshekga, the Minister of Basic Education, welcomed the initiative as a practical step towards the realisation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concluded in 2011 between the Departments of Basic Education and Sports and Recreation. This MoU called on sports federations to support school sports by providing technical support to school code committees, assist with the hosting of national events and to provide training and development opportunities to technical officials.
“I want to commend Cricket South Africa for committing to work closely with government to ensure that we provide opportunities to play the game to those most disadvantaged by apartheid sports policies’’ said Motshekga. We are particularly pleased that the initiative will target those in rural areas and townships, as well as provide opportunities to young girls to benefit from specialised coaching at the CSA Cricket Hubs, Regional Performance Centres and Provincial Academies.”
“Cricket, like other sporting codes, has the potential to build trust, tolerance and respect amongst communities kept apart in the past. Sport as a nation-building exercise however requires us to actively work towards levelling the playing fields. This initiative is a crucial step in that process”, concluded the Minister.
Enquiries:
Elijah Mhlanga
Cell: 083 580 8275
