The City of Cape Town partnered with SPAR Proteas player, Phumza Maweni for the inaugural Phumza Maweni and Sporting Chance Foundation Netball Tournament in Khayelitsha on Sunday.
During the tournament, held at the OR Tambo Indoor Centre, Deputy Mayor Alderman Eddie Andrews and Maweni unveiled the latest Netball World Cup 2023 mural.
The artwork for the mural is inspired by Phumza Maweni, who grew up in Khayelitsha and currently plays professional Netball in the UK.
Artist, Rizah Potgieter crafted the 30m x 7m painting with Maweni as the centrepiece. The artwork is visible from the N2 highway, just after the Mew Way turnoff.
This is the second mural that the City has commissioned as part of the lead-up to the Netball World Cup 2023.
Last month, the City with its Netball World Cup partners, unveiled a 33 x 9-metre artwork on the wall of the Langa Indoor Sports Centre.
Read more: Netball World Cup 2023: Legacy projects underway to uplift the sport even further
The murals are part of the City’s legacy projects as the host city for Africa’s first-ever Netball World Cup.
Partnering with Phumza Maweni and the Sporting Chance Foundation for the tournament also forms part of the municipality’s broader efforts to provide platforms for developmental opportunities to Netball players at the grassroots level.
Phumza is one of our own and we are proud of what she has achieved being instrumental in the resurgence of the national Netball team over the years. When we heard that she was planning a tournament to give back to her community, it was a no-brainer for us to provide support for her foundation’s tournament. We believe developmental initiatives such as these will help unearth the next crop of national Netball heroes.
– Deputy Mayor, Alderman Eddie Andrews.
The City provided the tournament with funding for Events and City services and has waived the costs for the use of the municipal facility.
The tournament featured 10 under-15 teams and 10 under-19 teams from local netball clubs in Khayelitsha, as they battled it out for the coveted trophies.
With the emphasis on mass participation and talent identification, a key aspect for Maweni and her Foundation team will be to identify players that display exceptional talent and flair to mentor and monitor their netball progress:
Every time I come back home, I have always wanted to host netball tournaments and coaching clinics in Khayelitsha to uplift the young people of my community. I’m very excited that this idea is now coming to fruition. I would like to share my skills and experiences with the young players in Khayelitsha and inspire them to achieve their dreams.
In addition to supporting the tournament, the City is partnering with the Cape Town Netball Federation to roll out an afterschool programme focused on developing player skills, rules of play and teamwork, and mentorships for coaches.
The programme is open to girls aged between 10 and 16.
The pilot project will be launched at 12 City facilities including:
- Rebecca van Amsterdam Recreation Centre/ Westfleur Sports Ground, Atlantis
- Scottsdene Recreation Centre & Sports Ground, Kraaifontein
- Du Noon Recreation Centre
- Sarepta Recreation Centre, Kuilsriver
- Nomzamo Recreation Centre, Strand
- Khayelitsha CBD Centre, Khayelitsha
- Ravensmead Recreation Centre
- Proteaville Recreation Centre, Bellville South
- Gugulethu Indoor Centre
- Portlands Indoor Centre, Mitchells Plain
- Lotus River Recreation Centre
- Ottery Centre/Coniston Park
Those interested in joining the programme can sign up at the participating facilities closest to their homes or schools.
The programme will culminate in a once-off tournament featuring teams from all areas.
