Team Western Cape Depart for South African National Schools Championships

The members of Team Western Cape were given a heroes’ send-off on 9 December 2014 as they left for the South African National Schools Championships (SANSC) in Pretoria. The contingent of 1 197 players, coaches and managers are hoping to improve on their third place overall result last year.

Players and teams were selected after individual trials and team play-off matches that took place across the province in August, September and October 2014.

Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) head Brent Walters was on hand to give players some words of encouragement. “This is a major opportunity for all of you, so go out there, enjoy yourselves and make sure that you represent your province with honour and respect,” he said. “If we leave the championships having achieved those things, we will have achieved our goal.”

Team Western Cape will be taking part in 18 types of sport. This includes sport codes played in the national championships for the first time this year, such as cross country, goal ball, swimming, kho-kho and kgati. Disability sport members of the team will be competing in the mildly mentally handicapped, intellectually impaired, hearing impaired, visually impaired and physically disabled categories.

Paul Hendricks, Director of Sports Development at DCAS, said: “We are confident that the athletes will make our province proud on the field, and that they will also be good ambassadors off the field.”