Five senior ladies' soccer teams from Ward 11, Collins Chabane Municipality, battled it out for top honours in the sixth annual Collins Chabane Ward 11 and Faranani Youth Development Grannies Soccer Tournament.
The tournament was held at the Madobi Sports Ground on Friday, 3 January. Teams that participated in the tournament included Makhasa Old Age FC, Sundani Old Age FC, Madobi Vakhegula FC, Nngwekhulu Faranani FC, and Makaphula Old Age FC.
The final match was between Sundani and Makaphula. After a gruelling 90 minutes, Sundani were declared the champions after beating their rivals 3-2 in a highly contested final.
The coordinator of the tournament, Ms. Nkhume Mutavhatsindi Sithagu, said sport had the ability to bring people together, where they could build friendships while watching and enjoying an exciting game of soccer.
"The elderly are the most vulnerable and marginalised group in society, often left to face a life of boredom. We are creating a platform for them to meet each other, with the long-term goal of uniting them in the name of social cohesion. We brought the tournament to Madobi to give the gogos from the Vuwani area a chance to mix with their Vatsonga counterparts," she said.
Sithagu added that they could clearly see the benefits of such a tournament. "Teams from different areas now visit each other. Besides the social cohesion aspect, sport contributes greatly to the health of these elders. Some could not even walk when they joined us, but through the exercises we do, they are no longer clients at the local clinics," she said.
She thanked the sponsors, Tshitshithe Funeral Undertakers and Aubs Motors and Diesel Centre, as well as the local ward councillor, Humbulani Mathavha, who dug deep into their pockets to ensure the tournament's success.