According to the mayor of Greater Giyani, Cllr Simon Ntindane, the dinner was meant to give awards to all those who participated in the Greater Giyani mayoral tournament, to honour professional soccer players and boxers within the municipal area, as well as the indigenous game players who will be representing the country in Canada this month.
The municipality, with 25 wards and 89 villages, was nominated as the best municipality in the province for promoting sport service delivery last year. The mayoral tournament is an annual event, sponsored by business people around Giyani.
"This is the best municipality in terms of identifying talent and producing professional sportsmen and -women. Little did we know when we started to promote various sporting codes in our municipality that they would be people who would be representing the country in Canada from our municipality," he said.
MEC Maswanganyi said that even professional soccer is played in Giyani, Thohoyandou and Polokwane, and that the municipality must keep the spirit of sports alive. "Let us keep the momentum of participating and unearthing more talent before the 2010 World Soccer Cup comes because it would be very embarrassing in 2010 if we are knocked out in the first round of the tournament, so let us unearth more talents," he said.
Maswanganyi pleaded with municipalities also to invest in sports, adding that it would be interesting if one of the awards recipients would be playing for the national side that would be representing the country during the World Cup in 2010.
The player of the mayoral tournament, Modestus Mkansi, top goal scorer, Desmond "Killer" Mugwena both from Noblehoek All Stars and the best referee of the tournament Musa Ndove received trophies and certificates. Makoma Merriam Selopyane, the first Limpopo Women and Sport Co-ordinator in boxing and the national judge in Olympic boxing also received an award.
Sundowns FC striker, Ishmael Maluleke’s father received an award on his behalf.
The champions of the tournament are Noblehoek All Stars, who received R2 500, a ball and a certificate, while Hatshama Bucs XI FC received R2 000, certificate and a ball for finishing the tournament in the second position.