In honor of young women in Netball
Telkom, the anchor sponsor of the South African Netball League in the spirit of “leaving no one behind”, donated a fully functional Netball Court to M.H Baloyi Secondary School in Winterveld on 18 August 2022.
This was part of Women’s Month to honor and celebrate women across different disciplines and in this case, to grow the sport and encourage participation among young women.
The handover falls on the back of the successful Telkom Netball Celebrity Face-Off and Telkom Netball League; both held from the home of Netball at the Heartfelt Arena in Centurion. Telkom and the winning team made up of team captain Khutso Theledi and her celebrity friends, Busisiwe “Cici” Twala, Selby Mkhize, Jonathan Boyton Lee, and Netball Protea MVPs were present at the venue for the handover of the court.
Khutso Theledi said, “I didn’t think twice about participating in the Netball Celebrity Face-Off because I knew that the winning team would donate a Netball court to a school. It’s always an incredible feeling to participate in an activity that will benefit the youth, especially those from underprivileged communities.
The handover was supported by Netball SA, South African Schools Netball, and the Gauteng Department of Education, who, together with Telkom Foundation, identified M.H. Baloyi Secondary School as the deserving beneficiary to receive the netball court.
Deputy Chief Inspector of Education in the Gauteng Department of Education, Ms Thato Kgomo-Kekana, said “We selected a school that carries a solid Netball culture to receive this wonderful donation from Telkom.
“It was important to the Department that the chosen school will not only accommodate their pupils but will allow some of the surrounding schools in the area also to utilize the court.”
Ms Sarah Mthintso, Executive Corporate Social Responsibility Telkom Foundation, said Telkom is demonstrating its commitment to the social compact of “leaving no one behind” in this cause through the netball court donation.
“Sports like netball promote women and girls’ empowerment through inspirational role models and development programs. It is befitting that the Netball court handover is held during Women’s Month.
“Netball teaches young women about the importance of teamwork, and South Africa has a lot of talent which can produce more high-quality players who will represent the country at tournaments such as the Telkom Netball League,” she said.
Ms Mthinsto said Telkom is the anchor sponsor of the Netball League, and the donation follows the successful Telkom Netball League (TNL), which offers young female athletes the opportunity to showcase their skills to be identified and scouted by institutions of higher learning. In partnership with Netball South Africa, it’s one of the ways that Telkom makes sure that young women have a platform to shine.
She said the socio-economic impact of such a donation is that the court will not only allow the learners at M.H Baloyi Secondary School to hone their netball skills, but additionally, the broader community of Winterveld will also utilize the court for their community netball tournaments.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to make history at M.H Baloyi Secondary School and, most importantly, lead the way in Netball development in the community of Winterveld,” she said.
