By Charmaine Ndlela
Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Peace Mabe on Thursday handed over a new multipurpose sports facility at ED Mashabane Secondary School in Evaton, Gauteng, as part of efforts to expand access to sport and develop young talent.
The facility includes a combi court for soccer, basketball, netball, volleyball and tennis, as well as an outdoor gym, a children’s play area and newly planted trees.
Mabe said the facility, which has an expected lifespan of 14 years, would provide learners with a long-term platform to develop their sporting abilities.
Addressing learners during the handover, she said the investment was also aimed at strengthening the pipeline of athletes who could represent South Africa at future Olympic Games.
“We said in the next coming Olympics we should build a bigger and stronger team to represent South Africa in the Olympics,” Mabe said.
She said the country could not expect young people to compete at the Olympics without first providing the infrastructure and opportunities needed to develop their talents.
“This facility will produce people who are going to represent us in the next Olympics because we cannot say, come participate, be part of the Olympics, but we are not building enabling infrastructure,” she said.
Mabe said she wanted the facility to become a place where learners from different schools and backgrounds could discover and develop their sporting talents.
“We want to see children coming from far and all different schools saying, because of the facility in 2026, we are here because we got an opportunity to go and practise there,” she said.
She urged learners to take pride in the facility and use it responsibly.
“So love this combi court. If you love it, it is going to love you back,” she said.
Mabe said the facility was built to world-class standards and would provide an environment that supports both participation and athlete development.
She also highlighted the specialised material used for the sports surface, saying it was designed to reduce the impact on athletes’ joints.
“This facility is made out of a special plastic and that plastic, I’m told, looks after the joints,” she said.
Mabe said the department’s investment in sports infrastructure was about more than providing a place to play, but about creating opportunities for young people to build discipline, confidence and skills and potentially pursue sport professionally.
As part of the initiative, Mabe distributed sports apparel, books and equipment to three schools in the area: ED Mashabane Secondary School, Tokelo Secondary School and Mosioa Primary School.
The equipment is expected to give learners greater opportunities to participate in different sporting codes and develop their abilities, while the new facility will provide space for training and competitions.
Mabe urged learners to make full use of the facility and take responsibility for protecting and maintaining it.
She said the infrastructure belonged to the community and should remain available to future generations.
The handover forms part of the department’s efforts to strengthen school sport by improving access to sporting infrastructure and providing learners with resources to participate in different sporting codes.
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