Message from the President
June 2012
With the 2012 National Deaf Development Games fast approaching, Mpumalanga is the subject of many Deaf athletes across
the country. Everyone is talking about Mpumalanga. The question everyone asks is: Will Mpumalanga be able to deliver? Is Nelspruit up to the challenge? As one of the Mpumalanga residents myself, I can confidently say without a doubt – yes
we can! The Province has the capacity to deliver one of the best games in history.
So far, Mpumalanga (host), North West, Limpopo, Free State and Kwazulu/Natal are ready and have received financial backing from their respective governments, most with support from the Sport Confederations in those provinces. While Gauteng is ready logistically, they are still struggling to secure funding and as to whether they will be able to make it to Mpumalanga or not, remains to be seen.
Western Cape has made it clear that they do not have the funds and so will not be sending a team to the games, although their schools counterparts are still trying their best to raise the required funds. Should they be successful in raising the funds, we will allow them to participate on their own without the mother-body because our interests lie with the athletes. If schools are able to bring athletes, why should we say no?
Eastern Cape cannot be allowed to participate since there are still problems within the Eastern Cape Deaf Sports Federation that needs to be resolved first and foremost.
Northern Cape still owes SADSF a refund on the expenses paid for their team’s accommodation and transport during the 2011 National Deaf Games held in Potchefstroom, North West. Despite our numerous attempts to recover the funds, we have not been successful although we do have a guarantee from the province’s sport department that this would be paid. Unless we receive the funds owed to us in full, Northern Cape cannot be part of the games in Mpumalanga.
With regard to team management and officials for each province, we are appealing to all the provinces to give other deserving people a chance to be team managers and coaches. We cannot have the same faces again and again in those positions while there are other deserving individuals out there. Appointing friends to various positions is wrong and we cannot accept it. We want to see new faces assuming these roles, we want the provinces to show that they represent everyone and not just friends. Everyone must be given an opportunity in the team whether you like that person or not. Do not look at the person per se, but at what such a person can offer.
Another issue is that no athlete who has previously represented the country at international level should be included in the team. Such an athlete has past the development stage and is now an international athlete. The focus for the games is developmental. We need to see new young athletes at these games, which is why we have continually stressed the fact that schools must be involved. There must be learners and there must be teachers in the provincial team. We do not compromise on that one.
International competitions: 2012 World Deaf Athletics Championships will be held in Toronto, Canada from 14 to 21 July 2012.
South Africa will be represented by the following team:
1. Gerard Kroese
2. Thabang Mofokeng
3. Meshack Mashaba
4. Tryphina Motsoko
5. Martin Pillay – Team Manager/coach
Meshack and Tryphina both have international experience, having represented the country internationally in athletics before. We wish the team all of the very best in Toronto. On the London Olympics front, Tadhg Slattery has again been named in the Paralympic swimming team and we wish him
well in London.
All the athletes mentioned above will surely put South Africa on the map once again and we are 100% behind them.
Provincial structures: Because of the pressure from some old people in Eastern Cape, Nodumo Same has decided to resign as chairperson of Eastern Cape Deaf Sports Federation and because we understand how these people treated her the past few months, we have accepted that the pressure was too much for her to hear and support her decision to step down. This means we now have to start from scratch to fix the problems in Eastern Cape.
All other Provinces will elect new office-bearers this financial year and we are working on the programme for this.
Factional tendencies: It has come to our attention that there is a group of disgruntled individuals who have formed their own structure called National Deaf Sports Council. Although their intention to establish this structure is not yet known, we are aware that they are acting in a factional fashion and are hell-bent on destabilizing South African Deaf Sports Federation and confusing athletes in the country. They have done this before and failed and it seems they are not about to give up. We know who they are and where they come from. Their latest strategy will never succeed and we will make sure of it. Our intention is to expose and shame them which we will do.
One of their ring leaders tried to contact South African Football Association (SAFA) and lied to them, but SAFA was not fooled and immediately informed us of this. We are watching them keenly and will stop them in their tracks. We will not allow our athletes to be misled by this cabal and will stand up to them whether they like it or not. We want them to know that SA Deaf Sports Federation is the only legally recognized Federation in South Africa and is the only official body affiliated to South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD), Confederation of African Deaf Sports (CADS) and the only one recognized by Sport and Recreation SA (SRSA), as a representative sport body for Deaf people in South Africa.
Schools Sport: I have been raising the subject of schools sport in almost all my previous messages and will continue to do so because schools sport is very important to us. A meeting will be held on the 23rd of June 2012 at City Lodge Hotel OR Tambo International Airport to map out way forward in terms of development of sport at school level. This meeting will be attended by representatives from various provinces representing schools sport and we hope that a detailed plan in terms of school sport development will be devised. We need a plan, we need a framework from which to work, we need coaches in schools and there must be a plan, a simple but detailed plan. We must revive schools sport and the time is now. We need to see where we come from and where we are going. It cannot be a situation of the blind leading the blind. There must be a clear direction in terms of schools sport and delegates at this meeting must find that direction and stick to it. No more empty talk. We have been talking too long and time to act is now.
We are working very hard to ensure that SADSF achieves the goals that the congress set out and we dare not fail.
Julius Maxajwe
President
With the 2012 National Deaf Development Games fast approaching, Mpumalanga is the subject of many Deaf athletes across
the country. Everyone is talking about Mpumalanga. The question everyone asks is: Will Mpumalanga be able to deliver? Is Nelspruit up to the challenge? As one of the Mpumalanga residents myself, I can confidently say without a doubt – yes
we can! The Province has the capacity to deliver one of the best games in history.
So far, Mpumalanga (host), North West, Limpopo, Free State and Kwazulu/Natal are ready and have received financial backing from their respective governments, most with support from the Sport Confederations in those provinces. While Gauteng is ready logistically, they are still struggling to secure funding and as to whether they will be able to make it to Mpumalanga or not, remains to be seen.
Western Cape has made it clear that they do not have the funds and so will not be sending a team to the games, although their schools counterparts are still trying their best to raise the required funds. Should they be successful in raising the funds, we will allow them to participate on their own without the mother-body because our interests lie with the athletes. If schools are able to bring athletes, why should we say no?
Eastern Cape cannot be allowed to participate since there are still problems within the Eastern Cape Deaf Sports Federation that needs to be resolved first and foremost.
Northern Cape still owes SADSF a refund on the expenses paid for their team’s accommodation and transport during the 2011 National Deaf Games held in Potchefstroom, North West. Despite our numerous attempts to recover the funds, we have not been successful although we do have a guarantee from the province’s sport department that this would be paid. Unless we receive the funds owed to us in full, Northern Cape cannot be part of the games in Mpumalanga.
With regard to team management and officials for each province, we are appealing to all the provinces to give other deserving people a chance to be team managers and coaches. We cannot have the same faces again and again in those positions while there are other deserving individuals out there. Appointing friends to various positions is wrong and we cannot accept it. We want to see new faces assuming these roles, we want the provinces to show that they represent everyone and not just friends. Everyone must be given an opportunity in the team whether you like that person or not. Do not look at the person per se, but at what such a person can offer.
Another issue is that no athlete who has previously represented the country at international level should be included in the team. Such an athlete has past the development stage and is now an international athlete. The focus for the games is developmental. We need to see new young athletes at these games, which is why we have continually stressed the fact that schools must be involved. There must be learners and there must be teachers in the provincial team. We do not compromise on that one.
International competitions: 2012 World Deaf Athletics Championships will be held in Toronto, Canada from 14 to 21 July 2012.
South Africa will be represented by the following team:
1. Gerard Kroese
2. Thabang Mofokeng
3. Meshack Mashaba
4. Tryphina Motsoko
5. Martin Pillay – Team Manager/coach
Meshack and Tryphina both have international experience, having represented the country internationally in athletics before. We wish the team all of the very best in Toronto. On the London Olympics front, Tadhg Slattery has again been named in the Paralympic swimming team and we wish him
well in London.
All the athletes mentioned above will surely put South Africa on the map once again and we are 100% behind them.
Provincial structures: Because of the pressure from some old people in Eastern Cape, Nodumo Same has decided to resign as chairperson of Eastern Cape Deaf Sports Federation and because we understand how these people treated her the past few months, we have accepted that the pressure was too much for her to hear and support her decision to step down. This means we now have to start from scratch to fix the problems in Eastern Cape.
All other Provinces will elect new office-bearers this financial year and we are working on the programme for this.
Factional tendencies: It has come to our attention that there is a group of disgruntled individuals who have formed their own structure called National Deaf Sports Council. Although their intention to establish this structure is not yet known, we are aware that they are acting in a factional fashion and are hell-bent on destabilizing South African Deaf Sports Federation and confusing athletes in the country. They have done this before and failed and it seems they are not about to give up. We know who they are and where they come from. Their latest strategy will never succeed and we will make sure of it. Our intention is to expose and shame them which we will do.
One of their ring leaders tried to contact South African Football Association (SAFA) and lied to them, but SAFA was not fooled and immediately informed us of this. We are watching them keenly and will stop them in their tracks. We will not allow our athletes to be misled by this cabal and will stand up to them whether they like it or not. We want them to know that SA Deaf Sports Federation is the only legally recognized Federation in South Africa and is the only official body affiliated to South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD), Confederation of African Deaf Sports (CADS) and the only one recognized by Sport and Recreation SA (SRSA), as a representative sport body for Deaf people in South Africa.
Schools Sport: I have been raising the subject of schools sport in almost all my previous messages and will continue to do so because schools sport is very important to us. A meeting will be held on the 23rd of June 2012 at City Lodge Hotel OR Tambo International Airport to map out way forward in terms of development of sport at school level. This meeting will be attended by representatives from various provinces representing schools sport and we hope that a detailed plan in terms of school sport development will be devised. We need a plan, we need a framework from which to work, we need coaches in schools and there must be a plan, a simple but detailed plan. We must revive schools sport and the time is now. We need to see where we come from and where we are going. It cannot be a situation of the blind leading the blind. There must be a clear direction in terms of schools sport and delegates at this meeting must find that direction and stick to it. No more empty talk. We have been talking too long and time to act is now.
We are working very hard to ensure that SADSF achieves the goals that the congress set out and we dare not fail.
Julius Maxajwe
President