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QUEUEING UP TO BLOW THE WHISTLE AT THE GRAND FINALS - Haylea Heyns

Queuing up to umpire at the SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Tournament in Kloof later this month, 23-year-old Dundee High School old boy, Qiniso "Que" Mdletshe,prepares himself to blow the whistle at the Grand Finals. 

The tournament, which is in its seventh year, travelled to 10 regions around KZN and saw almost 80 high school girls’ first teams battle it out on the astro. At each of the regionals an up-and-coming young umpire was selected, and Mdletshe, representing Northern KZN, was one of the “Most Promising Umpires” to be invited to referee at the Grand Finals. 

Mdletshe’s passion for hockey ignited at Uelzen Primary when he first started playing mini hockey in Grade one.  He went on to play in the first team at Dundee High School, and then at Varsity College Durban North where he was awarded Second Team Player of the Year. This was the last time he was on the field as a player. He has since been umpiring for over two years. This is his debut at the Spar KZN School Girls’ Tournament. Mdletshe says that he “misses playing hockey, and that it is unfortunate that we don't have enough teams in our area to form a league because it is a beautiful sport.”

As an umpire, Mdletshe likes to encourage fair play and a good game flow, being sure to only interfere and disrupt play when absolutely necessary and striving for his refereeing decisions to be thorough and consistent. He maintains his physical fitness by jogging almost everyday (except Sundays). 

Off the field, Mdletshe likes reading books about “success stories” and playing social soccer, cricket and table tennis. He wants to complete his Diploma in Sports Management and dreams of perhaps oneday studying further – this time it would be teaching at either UKZN, UCT, or NWU Pukke. 

Catch Que Mdletshe umpiring at the SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Grand Finals taking place at St Mary’s DSG on the 29 and 30 July 2017.

 

 

 

Durban FilmMart Hosts Leading Film Executive Tilane Jones of Array Now

One of the key figures attending the Durban FilmMart this year, Tilane Jones is the executive director of ARRAY, the film distribution collaborative founded by Oscar-winner Ava DuVernay which is focused on women filmmakers and filmmakers of colour. Since 2011, Array has acquired key titles, including Ava DuVernay’s Middle of Nowhere, Andrew Dosunmu’s Restless City and Haile Gerima’s Ashes and Embers. In the process, Jones has shifted the position of films made by women and people of colour, bringing an audience to films that would otherwise struggle to find screens. As well as her position at Array, Jones is also a production manager with several high-profile titles to her name, including a range of fashion and beauty films and television productions.

Talking about her first visit to South Africa and her engagement with the local film market, Jones says that she hopes to inspire and encourage women to overcome the challenges they face on the continent as women filmmakers. “I want to let women filmmakers know that there is an audience that is hungry for stories told from their perspective. ARRAY has worked hard to cultivate that audience and we are eagerly awaiting them and their films.”

Tilane will also be meeting with local women filmmakers to find out what their needs are and what hurdles they need to overcome, in order to better inform herself on how she might be able to inspire and encourage them in the important work that they are doing. “I am very excited about my first visit to South Africa and the Durban FilmMart”, she said, “and I look forward to meeting with emerging filmmakers from the continent, with the aim of acquiring more African titles to be distributed in the United States”.

Asked about whether there was a defining moment when she had cut through the barriers that traditionally held women back from being major players in the global film industry, Jones takes a somewhat pragmatic approach. “There always have been and always will be barriers to break through as a woman and person of colour. But the task of breaking those barriers will never end, so instead I focus on trying to acquire films by women filmmakers and filmmakers of colour that, one by one, break a barrier just by existing and being seen by audiences. There are many audiences that would not have been able to experience this art form if it weren’t for ARRAY and our partners. I focus my efforts on the work more than on breaking barriers.”

Talking about women in the industry who have inspired her, Jones says that she is motivated to continue her work by every woman filmmaker and producer who creates complex, dynamic images. Of those women, ARRAY founder, Ava DuVernay is a key inspiration to her– “Due to her amazing storytelling ability, for loving herself as a black woman and a black woman filmmaker who tells stories from her own unique perspective, for being passionate about her culture, and for being passionate about film. Ava is always pushing past the ‘no’ and finding her own ‘yes’ and that inspires me more than anything.”

Finally, does she have any advice for young female film-makers just starting out as to how they can cut through the clutter in an industry that is still male-dominated? “I always tell filmmakers to tell their own stories and to tell them well.  Being a woman filmmaker and telling stories from a women’s perspective is all that needs to be done to cut through the clutter. Don’t focus on the noise – it is there to distract you. Focus on the story and telling it to the best of your capability. “

Jones will appear in the DFM programme, session entitled ‘Women-led Film: In Conversation with Tilane Jones’ on Friday 14 July at 14h00 - 16h00.

The 8th Durban FilmMart takes place in Durban, at the Tsogo Sun Elangeni from 14 to 17 July 2017, during the 38th edition of the Durban International Film Festival (13-23 July 2017).

For more information on the Durban FilmMart visit www.durbanfilmmart.com. Registration can now only be done at Elangeni Hotel from 9am on Thursday, July 13.

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CineFAM SOUTH AFRICA SHORT FILM CHALLENGE AT DIFF AND DFM

Media Release

CineFAM SOUTH AFRICA SHORT FILM CHALLENGE AT DIFF AND DFM

CaribbeanTales International Film Festival, in partnership with Sisters Working in Film and Television (SWIFT), invites South African women filmmakers to participate in the inaugural CineFAM South Africa Short Film Challenge. The CineFAM South Africa Short Film Challenge aims to create opportunities to garner international recognition and global distribution and is presented at the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) (13 to 23 July) and the Durban FilmMart (DFM) (14 to 17 July).

SWIFT is a newly formed organization that aims to advance the participation of women in the South African audio-visual sector. CaribbeanTales is a group of companies that produces, markets, and sells Caribbean-themed film and television content for global audiences. It includes CaribbeanTales Inc. a registered Charity based in Toronto, Canada; the CaribbeanTales International Film Festival (CTFF) which takes place annually in Toronto in September; the renowned CaribbeanTales Incubator Program, a development and production hub for original Caribbean content; CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution (CTWD), the largest full-service distribution entity dedicated to the monetisation of Caribbean content; CaribbeanTalesFlix, our production arm, and CaribbeanTales-TV, a video on demand platform.

 The CineFAM South Africa Short Film Challenge aims to create an opportunity for female South African filmmakers to collaborate and establish creative relationships that stimulate the growth of content made by women. The challenge also aims to connect South African filmmakers with those in the Diaspora as well as a global audience.

SWIFT will present a preparatory workshop on no-budget filmmaking at the Durban FilmMart on Monday, July 17 from 12:30pm to 2pm at the Tsogo Sun Maharani Hotel. This workshop will provide participants with useful tools for making a short film with constraints in time, budget and other resources.  This is a free workshop and no bookings are necessary.

Following the workshop (which is not mandatory to enter the Challenge), the CineFAM South Africa Short Film Challenge will take place from 19-23 July and will be open to teams with the roles of writer, director and producers filled by women and queer filmmakers from South Africa. The theme from the challenge will be announced on 18 July on the CaribbeanTales website www.caribbeantales-tv.com and the teams will have five days to write, shoot and edit a film of no longer than 5 minutes. Entering teams need to feature female identifying crew in the key positions of writer, director and producer.

Completed films must be uploaded by no later than Sunday, 23 July at midnight (GMT +2) on the CaribbeanTales website. Teams unable to upload the films for submission, from their own internet connections, should contact cinefamza@gmail.com on the first day of the challenge to make arrangements for submission.

A shortlist of up to ten short films will be selected and posted on the CT website for online voting. The challenge will recognize three winning films including best story, best direction and audience choice. Two of these films will be given their World Premiere Screening at the CaribbeanTales International Film Festival and all will be given the opportunity to acquire distribution by CTWD.

“We are very excited to be collaborating with both SWIFT and Caribbean Tales on this initiative and hope it will lay the foundation for more cooperation between filmmakers on the continent and those from the Diaspora,” says Toni Monty of the Durban FilmMart.

 “South Africa is a natural partner to CaribbeanTales, and we are thrilled by the opportunity to provide a platform for women filmmakers. CineFAM, meaning “films by women” in Haitian Creole, is a global initiative of ours through which we spotlight to crucial voices of women in film.  We couldn’t be more delighted to continually expand the horizons for the kind of stories that we can tell,” says Frances-Anne Solomon, founder and CEO of CaribbeanTales.

Speaking on behalf of SWIFT Sara Blecher said “Short films are brilliant ways that filmmakers and their projects can get noticed. There are countless examples of how short films are precursors for feature films. We hope that through this process, women filmmakers are driven to create work that will start a process of getting recognition, attention and support to further develop their body of work.”

“We are delighted that this new programme to encourage South African filmmakers to take the short film challenge during the festival focuses on women in line with the Women Led Film theme for this year’s festival,” says Chipo Zhou, DIFF manager. “We look forward to seeing the creative results and perhaps seeing some of these films in our festival in the future.”

For more information, contact cinefamza@gmail.com .  For more information about the DIFF go to www.durbanfilmfest.co.za and for the DFM go to www.durbanfilmmart.com.

 

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Durban Presence at Grahamstown's National Arts Festival

Creativity becomes the focus in Grahamstown next Thursday (June 30) with the start of annual National Arts Festival.  The usual sleepy university town becomes awash with bright colours and crafts, performances and happenings, fine arts, glorious sounds, delicious food and fascinating people who come to feast and binge on everything arty.

The National Arts Festival (NAF) is widely considered to be the premier national arts festival in South Africa boasting a strong and varied programme of the best of performing and visual arts across all genres. This year the over-all focus of the festival is “Creative Disruption”:  for the first time in its 43 year history, the festival put out a call for proposals with a theme.

This year, KwaZulu-Natal is well represented, and in particular Durban. Hats off to Arts and Living Cultures, eThekwini Municipality who is supporting 12 Durban theatre groups enabling them to attend and perform at this year’s Festival which runs for 11 days.

The City’s support is enabling 120 theatre makers from 12 different productions across various genres to have a presence on the Fringe of this year’s NAF. The productions which the city are supporting are: Trafficked (Trulife Productions) combining physical theatre, poetry and media projections to tell the story of a girl tricked into a human trafficking syndicate; Game Over (Umvini Performing Art Project) looking at love!; Us against Them (Aphiwe Namba) a politically driven protest piece; The Chameleon (Magenta Pro) which looks at the quest for peace; Phumlani Mtiti Trio (Eco-Art) a contemporary instrumental trio fusing indigenous, western classical and SA jazz cultures; Daffi Falls (Umsindo Theatre Projects) about the life and times of Muammar Gaddafi as told by a journalist obsessed; Refugees (Wushini Arts and Heritage) about displaced people in a refugee camp; Kubili (Musa Hlatswayo / Mhayise Productions) a double bill of dance; Ants Job (Dikianga Arts) looking at the dishonourable state of living for Somali women;  Inyathuko (Mnqobi LM Arts Co) a complicated love story; Women in Tears (Edgy Drama Mix Productions) which reflects on the killing of mine workers by police inspired by the Marikana Massacre, and Nomalizo, The Brave (Madanisa Creative Productions) a love story written and directed by Bonginkosi Shangase.

“We are always delighted in being able to help facilitate taking productions to the National Arts Festival. It is important for the city to have a presence at one of the country’s foremost arts festivals and to allow our theatre makers to experience a national platform – especially emerging theatre voices to be able to add their story to the national dialogue,” said Themba Mchunu: Manager – Arts and Living Cultures, eThekwini Municipality.

Earlier in the year, the city put out a public call to groups and individuals who have already registered and have been approved to perform on the fringe at Grahamstown. There were no criteria restricting the genre of productions to be supported: be it dance, musical theatre, drama, comedy, physical theatre, etc. Selected productionsreceived city support towards their transport, accommodation and marketing costs.

Carrying Durban’s flag at the NAF will also be Neil Coppen whose new piece, Newfoundland (Buiteland) is on the main programme. The latest offering by Durban’s multiple award winning theatre maker, Newfoundland looks at the relationship between an Afrikaans anaesthetist based in Pietermaritzburg, and an isiZulu speaking choreographer with a calling to become a Sangoma.

Durban music guru and practicing labour lawyer Richard Haslop has four interesting music themed talks which looks at music through his immense knowledge and quirky eyes.  

Also on the programme are Durban’s own Guy Buttery, and singer Noma Khumalo from Pietermaritzburg. Making people laugh will by Lisa Bobbert and Aaron McIlroy with their Comedy Masterclass and Marriage for Dummies and Ben Voss and John van de Ruit with their Mamba Republic. Rajesh Gopie’s classic Out of Bounds has been re-imagined as a two hander.

The KZN Department of Arts & Culture (Zululand District) is also supporting some productions this year including It Could Have Been Worse, a play about geneder violence within marriage directed by Nkululeko Ngidi and featuring Nomthandazo Buthelezi, Nkululeko Ngidi, Nombuso Luvuno and Mndeni Ntshangase; and The Path of Destination about albinism and forgiveness, directed by Mfanafuthi Shabangu with a cast featuring Lungile Dumisa, Gugulethu Shabangu, Simphiwe Nxumalo and Mzwandile Masuku

The Rainbow Theatre Company presents an interesting physical theatre piece entitled Safe Spaces with direction and choreography by Thobeka Bhengu. The work comprises a collection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex stories of hope, love and it addresses the injustices directed towards LGBTI people in South Africa.  

Umphithi Theatre Project Management from Pietermaritzburg presents Guilty or Not Guilty?  Performed by the company, directed by Gcina Mdluli and choreographed by Themba Mkhoma, this physical theatre piece unravels the mysteries of family complexities using a brutal murder as the starting point. 

Mixed Motion 2, is a dance work by SASAD KZN Dance Company, directed by Jenny Walter-Girout and choreographed by Gabriel Masango, Leagan Peffer, Julia Hosmer, Kristi-Leigh Gresse, Yolanda Bourman, Leigh Meyer and Lizana Watson. The piece is described as an exhilarating, integrative collaboration, celebration dance. These breakthrough choreographers explore the synergies of ballet, Spanish, jazz, contemporary, hip hop and tap which they have fused into a molten core of talent and technique. 

Twenty two year old Idols SA winner, Noma Khumalo from Pietermaritzburg will perform as selection of contemporary songs that made her the darling of Season 12 of the popular talent show.

A collective of KZN poets and stand-up comedians will be accompanied by accapella in Mzansi Brewed Poetry and Comedy Cafe’.  Directed by Zama Msibi and Lethiwe Shabalala, the artists include Sbo da Poet, Minenhle Mthembu, Syabonga Mpungose and Mondli Mzizi.

The National Arts Festival 2017 runs from 29 June - 9 July. For more information about the National Arts Festival visit: http://www.nationalartsfestival.co.za. 

 

SPAR KZN School Girls' Hockey Challenge

It’s a wrap for the ten regional tournaments around KZN, with winners of each region now shifting their focus to the Grand Finals of the SPAR KZN School Girls Hockey Challenge that takes place at St Mary’s DSG in Kloof on 29 and 30 July.

The first team to secure their berth at the finals was Ferrum High School. The team from Newcastle is no stranger to the Grand Finals, having travelled to Durban six out of the seven years history of this tournament. They missed the 2016 tournament’s conclusion and will be eager to make an impact after a year’s break. 

The two teams representing the Pietermaritzburg Central and Northern Regionals are St Anne’s College and St John’s DSG. Like Ferrum, this is St Anne’s sixth appearance and with a gold, three bronzes and a fourth place to their record, this positively puts them as one of the favourites. St John’s DSG take to the fields as the only newcomer this year, having toppled Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School hold on the PMB Central Regional title, the only team to represent their region since the inception of the tournament.

The fourth team to secure their spot is the only team to have featured every year at the Grand Finals. The champions from the Durban Central Regional, Durban Girls College makes a welcome return and will be raring to reclaim the title, having raised the trophy three times. Adding to the list of success, two silvers and a fourth at this tournament. 

Returning to the Grand Finals is Our Lady of Fatima. The team representing the Durban North Region has only once been to the Grand Finals, that being in 2011 for the inaugural tournament where they finished in fifth. 

Back again, the first team from Amanzimtoti High School representing the Durban South Regional will be hoping to better their overall position having made it all the way for the third consecutive year. King Edward High School from the Ugu and Sisonke Regional will also be making their third consecutive appearance. Having a reputation as the giant slayer at the Grand Finals, the hard-working team are hoping to crack into the top half of the log.

Making a handful of appearances, winners of the Umvoti, uThukela and Umzinyathi Regional, Wartburg Kirchdorf School has been impressively improving through each of the finals. 2016 being the best yet where they finished fifth overall. 

From the Highway Regional, the feisty team from St Mary’s DSG are the overall defending champions who have two golds to their name, two bronzes and a fourth in their five appearances. The host team dominated their regional and look in good form to go all the way for a third time.

The final team to make the Grand Finals is Grantleigh College. Grantleigh snuck into the final for the third time. The team representing the Northern Coast Region have had a consistent run in Durban, with two eighth positions from the inaugural tournament and again last year. Like all the other teams, they are hoping to better their performance this year. 

Seventh Appearance

Durban Girls’ College- Durban Central Regional Winner - Gold (2013, 2014, 2015), Silver (2012, 2016), Fourth (2011)

Sixth Appearance

Ferrum High School – Northern KZN Regional Winner – Fifth (2012, 2015), Sixth (2011), Tenth 2013, 2014)

St Anne’s –Pietermaritzburg North Regional Winner - Gold (2011), Bronze (2014, 2015, 2016), Fourth (2013)

St Mary’s DSG – Highway Regional Winner - Gold (2012, 2016), Bronze (2011, 2013), Fourth (2015)

Fifth Appearance

Wartburg Kirchdorf – Umvoti, uThukela and Umzinyathi Regional Winner - Eighth (2013), Ninth (2014), Sixth (2015), Fifth (2016)

Third Appearance

Amanzimtoti High School – Durban South Regional Winner - Tenth (2015, 2016)

King Edward High School – Southern KZN Regional Winner - Eighth (2015), Sixth (2016)

Grantleigh – Northern Coastal Regional Winner - Eighth (2011, 2016)

Second Appearance

Our Lady of Fatima - Durban North Regional Winner -Fifth (2011)

First Appearance

St John’s DSG

MOLOTSANE LEADS SPAR GRAND PRIX AT HALFWAY STAGE

Johannesburg, South Africa - The SPAR Grand Prix has reached the halfway stage, with three SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge races completed and three to go.   Challenge newcomer Kesa Molotsane has moved into a 21 point lead on the SPAR Grand Prix ladder, after coming second in the Durban leg of the SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge on Sunday.

Molotsane was also second in Cape Town, and she won the Port Elizabeth race.  She earned bonus points in both races, and has a total of 78 points.  The current Grand Prix title holder, Irvette van Zyl, was third in Cape Town and second in Port Elizabeth, also earning bonus points in each.  However, she was forced to drop out of the Durban race because of an injury.  She has 57 points.

The 2015 Grand Prix winner, Lebogang Phalula, who was fourth in Cape Town, fifth in Port Elizabeth and third in Durban, is closing in on Van Zyl with 51 points.

Nolene Conrad and Mapaseka Makhanya, who won the Grand Prix in 2013, are in joint fourth position with 44 points.

The winner of Sunday’s race, British athlete Tish Jones, is in 12th position, with 30 points, after finishing within the target time.  Jones did not compete in the first two races, but says she intends to run at least two more, which means she could challenge Moletsane before the final race in Johannesburg in October.

One of the outstanding achievers is Judy Bird, running in the 50-59 years category.  She has been the first Master home in all three races, earning time bonus points in each, for a category total of 30 points.

At the halfway stage, KPMG is the leading club, with 292 points. Nedbank has 284, and Boxer is lying third, with 215.

The last three races will be run in Pretoria on August 5, Pietermaritzburg on August 20 and Johannesburg on October 8.

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Tish Jones wins Durban SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge

 

Tish Jones wins Durban SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge

 

DIMINUTIVE British distance runner, Tish Jones (KPMG), broke through the elite and highly competitive field of South African athletes to win the Durban leg of the SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge today (Sunday, June 11) in a personal best time of 32 minutes 58 seconds.

 

Among the leaders right from the start, Jones shrugged off a trio of Nedbank runners which included Zimbabwean long distance runner, Rutendo Nyahora, together with Nolene Conrad  (KPMG) soon after rounding the halfway mark in the fast, flat Durban beachfront course and finally broke away on her own.

 

Running strongly in the virtually perfect windless and warm conditions, Jones jumped into the lead and ran solo for the last four kilometres and finished 33 seconds ahead of second-placed Kesa Moletsane (also KPMG) who finished in 33:31 with third-placed Lebogang Phalula (Boxer) crossing the finish line in 33:39.

 

The top runners averaged 3 min 15 sec per kilometre with six runners crossing the finish line withing a minute of the winner in the shadow of the Growthpoint King’s Park Rugby Stadium.

 

Described as “the country’s most beautiful road race”, Jones was running for only the second time in this popular series, having first shown her mettle in winning the women’s event in the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in 2:36:13 last year.

 

The British runner, who is based and trains in the Western Cape, came fourth in the last London Marathon, missing the cut for the British team to compete in this year’s World Championships, also in London, with only three runners gaining selection for this event.

 

Speaking at the press conference after the race she said she had planned to run a sub 33-minute race and having achieved this could be highly satisfied with her previous best times over this distance both set last year with a 33:16 in Leeds in November and a 33:05 in Houilles, France, in December.

 

“I always try to remain relaxed and to maintain a steady pace,” she said, “but whatever you choose to be good at you have to just make up your mind to go all out for.”

 

Jones said she would now focus on next year’s Commonwealth Games Marathon and also defend her title in the Cape Town Marathon.

 

Jones added that she would also seriously consider entering in two of the remaining three races in the SPAR 10km Grandprix Series.

 

Moletsane said she had been ill for the past two weeks but had entered this race on account of her high status in the SPAR Grand Prix, which is spread over all six races in the series.

 

Her second place today (June 11) earned her 29 points more to add to the 59 she already has, 29 also for coming second in the Cape Town leg and 30 for winning the Port Elizabeth leg.

 

 

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RESULTS

 

OPEN

1 Tish Jones (KPMG) 00:32:58; 2 Kesa Molostane (KPMG) 00:33:31; 3 Lebogang Phalula (Boxer) 00:33:39; 4 Elisabet Kebede Arsedo (Nedbank) 00:33:48; 5 Ruthendo Nyahora (Nedbank) 00:33:50; 6 Glenrose Xaba 00:33:56; 7 Rudo Mhonderwa (Nedbank) 00:34:03; 8 Nolene Conrad (KPMG) 00:34:07; 9 Bertha Chikanga 00:34:15; 10 Mapaseka Makhanya (Olifantsfontien) 00:34:26.

JUNIOR

1 Nicole Louw (Afs-KPMG) 00:35:26; 2 Nicole Van Me (KPMG) 00:36:11; 3 Chery-Lee Schoeman  (KPMG) 00:39:51; 4 Nomthandazo Memela 00:40:03; 5 Nokukhanya Mtshali 00:41:19

 

40-49

1 Bulelwa Simoe 00:36:55; 2 Janene Carey (Boxer) 00:38:56; 3 Ronel Thomas (Boxer) 00:39:10

 

50-59

1 Judy Bird (KPMG) 00:39:09; 2 Grace de Oliveira 00:43:11 (Boxer); 3 Gail Babich (Savages) 00:45:21

Still a chance to enter the Durban SPAR Women's 10/5km

With the inspiration of the Comrades Marathon, there are, no doubt, thousands of KZN women who are just itching to reach a tangible running or walking goal in this year’s Durban SPAR Women’s 10/5km Challenge which takes place this Sunday, June 11.

While online entries for the race are now closed, there is still a chance to enter the race manually on Thursday June 8, Friday June 9 from 10am to 5pm and on Saturday, June 10 from 10am to 3pm at The Coast of Dreams Hall at the Durban Exhibition Centre. No entries will be taken on race day. 

The 10km race starts on Sunday, June 11 at 08:00 and the 5km at 09:30 on Masabalala Yengwa Avenue, outside Growthpoint Kings Park Stadium.

Participants and supporters are requested to note the road closuresand parking facilities for the day,  and advised to leave home early to arrive well in time to get into their starting positions.

Road Closures:

From 02:00am the following roads will be closed:

  • Snell Parade between Athlone Drive and the main entrance to Suncoast Casino
  • Battery Beach Road
  • Masabalala Yengwa Avenue between Smiso Nkwanyana Road and Isaiah Ntshangase Road.
  • The South bound lane of Masabalala Yengwa Avenue between Smiso Nkwanyana Road and KE Masinga Road.
  • Kingsmead Way 
  • Eden Gardens Crescent

From 04:00am the following roads will be closed:

  • KE Masinga Road (the 2 left lanes) between Eden Gardens Crescent and Masabalala Yengwa Avenue.
  • Masabalala Yengwa Avenue between Argyle Road and Smiso Nkwanyana Road
  • Somtseu Road at Masabalala Yengwa Avenue

From 06:00am the following roads will be closed:

  • The West bound lane of Athlone Drive between Snell Parade and Masabalala Yengwa Avenue
  • The off ramp from the M4 (Ruth First Highway) to Athlone Drive (in both directions)

   Access to People’s Park and the Durban Country Club:

 

  • Access and egress to the Durban Country Club will be from the M4 (Ruth First Highway)Please note that Isaiah Ntshangase Road will be closed at the entrance to Moses Mabhida Stadium (on Masabalala Yengwa Avenue) and the entrance to Durban Country Club. There will be no through traffic at this intersection.
  • Access to People's Park will be via Somtseu Road (Sasol Service Station near the station) and past Durmail using the back gate.

 

Parking 

  • Access to the free parking on Growthpoint Kings Park fields KP3, 4 and 5 will be via Smiso Nkwanyana Road into Jacko Jackson Drive. Once this area is full access will be limited to emergency and official vehicles only.
  • Access to free parking on Growthpoint Kings Park fields KP9 is accessed via Isaiah Ntshangase Road from Umgeni Road only.
  • Parking for a fee at Moses Mabhida is accessed via Isaiah Ntshangase Road from Umgeni Road only.

For more info like the Facebook page SPAR Women’s 10/5km Race . #SHEroes #runSPAR031

 

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Realness African Screenwriter's Residency - 2017 Selection announced at the Cannes Film Festival

At an event hosted by La Fabrique Cinéma de l’Institut Français, one of the first supporters of the programme, the selection of this year’s Realness Screenwriter’s Residency was announced at the Cannes Film Festival by Realness co-founder Cait Pansegrouw.

 Realness, which was established in 2016, aims to provide scriptwriting talent on the continent with the space, time and support needed to create and develop their vision. This year, over a hundred applications were received from twenty-one African countries. The international panel of industry experts with a stake in African Cinema, evaluated the submissions over three months, arriving at the five chosen residents in early May.

"The Realness initiative continues to unearth some of the rarest talent from the continent,” said Thandeka Zwana from the National Film and Video Foundation, one of the volunteer readers on the selection panel. “The most impressive part of reading the submissions was getting insights into the applicants' previous work and seeing real African cinema in terms of the aesthetic and storytelling. Some evoked memories of the old African greats and some spoke to a wave of new voices."

Marie Dubas, French producer of The Wound by John Trengove and one of the team that founded Realness said; “Selecting projects for Realness is a blessing and a huge responsibility. The projects are of a high quality, proving how rich the multiple African cultures are in nurturing unique stories. We know that for the scriptwriters behind these stories, Realness could be a life changing experience. We try to listen to the desires of these stories, and to allow the ones whose hearts beat the loudest to lead our choices.”

The selected residents for 2017 are Lemohang Mosese from Lesotho, Mario Fradique Bastos from Angola, Rama Thiaw from Senegal, Samantha Nell from South Africa and writer-director team Gloria Huwiler from Zambia and Jahmil XT Quebeka from South Africa. 

 Mario Fradique is an emerging voice in Angolan Cinema. His short films travelled to several festivals, winning awards along the way, while his first feature documentary, Independence, won Angola’s National Culture Prize in 2015. He joins us at Realness with his debut fiction feature, The Kingdom of Casuarinas, based on the novel by Jose Luis Mendonça.

Gloria Huwiler is an actress and writer seeking to give a cinematic voice to her unique experience as a first generation mixed-race Zambian through Victoria Falls. Gloria has teamed up with acclaimed South African writer/director Jahmil Quebka, best known for his second feature film, Of Good Report.”

Lemohang Moses hails from Lesotho, a country which has not produced many films. He is a self-taught, award-winning filmmaker and artist, with short film work that has travelled to over 100 festivals, winning top honours in Moscow and Milan last year. His debut feature is This Is Not A Burial It’s A Resurrection is the selected project.

Rama Thiaw is a strong voice from Senegal that we have heard from before. Her two feature length documentaries have garnered much success and awards, most notably the FIRPRESCI Prize at the Berlinale in 2016 for The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. She joins the residency with Life In A Spiral, her fiction debut.

South African Samantha Nell whose short film The Beast premiered in Cannes last year brings her debut feature, Miles From Nowhere. Set in Johannesburg, the film is an absurdist dark comedy that takes place in an old age home following four of its residents. The project is also supported by the NFVF for development.

 Realness 2017 begins on 3 June when the participants begin their residency at the Nirox Foundation in the Cradle of Humankind. They will be mentored by script consultant Nadja Dumouchel for their first week and will then enjoy 4 weeks of solid writing. In July they will attend the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) where they will present their projects to the industry under the mentorship of Selina Ukwuoma at the Durban FilmMart.

“We are grateful to DFM and DIFF for supporting the initiative and making this possible,” says founder and Creative Director Elias Ribeiro. “The screenwriters’  producers will also be invited to attend the finance forum at DFM this year.”

Following this, the screenwriters will submit their work for awards consideration. Their projects stand the chance to be selected to participate at La Fabrique Cinéma de l’Institut Français, EAVE Producer’s Workshop, Torino Film Lab Meeting Event, Locarno Filmmakers Academy and Midpoint Feature Launch.

 “One of the biggest challenges for us has been to find operational funding and have operated with in-kind contributions, with the entire team behind this programme having worked on a volunteer basis for the past two years,” explains Ribeiro.  “We are pleased that more recently we have received grants from the Goethe Institute of South Africa and the CNC, the French national Film Fund, which has been a welcome support for the progarmme.”

“The CNC, in the framework of our policy of targeted support to the new wave of African talents, has decided to support this emerging writing residency, which offers young promising filmmakers from the continent a wide range of high-level international expertise. We are looking forward to the results of this second edition”, affirmed Michel Plazanet, Deputy Director of International Affairs

Fairbridges Wertheim Becker Attorneys have appointed Nosiphiwo Qwabi to help establish Realness as a NPO trust and qualify for PBO status. "The benefits of a PBO are that the trust would be able to issue a tax certificate or receipt, allowing for donations by donors to be tax deductible", commented Andrew Hewitt, Fairbridges Head of Entertainment Law.

Realness is an initiative founded and curated by Urucu Media, under the mentorship of Berlinale Talents and in partnership with the Nirox Foundation, Durban FilmMart, The Durban International Film Festival, Durban Talents, The French Institute of South Africa and Institute Français, Torino Film Lab, EAVE Producer's Workshop, Midpoint Feature Launch, Locarno Filmmaker's Academy, Produire Au Sud, Fairbridges Wertheim Becker, the Goethe Institute and Le Centre National du Cinéma et de L'image Animée (CNC).

For more information on Realness, African Screenwriters residency  contact realness@urucumedia.com

 

Grantleigh College Deputy Head Girl - Danielle Van Onselen

Words by Sharlene Versfeld

 Meet Danielle Van Onselen – 18 year old hockey player and deputy head girl at Grantleigh College.

The energetic right link has achieved colours in soccer and academic, honours in hockey, Captain for the school girl’s cricket team and an award for Super Sports star of the year (2015). She plays provincial hockey and also enjoys soccer.

Danielle started playing hockey in grade 1 at Heuwelland Primary School and has always been inspired by her coach at the moment Mr B, who always tells her not to get her head in the game, but to just play.

The sports star has also got her academics balanced out with her favourite subject being Geography and having dreams of studying LLD Law next year at the Potchefstroom University.

Danielle enjoys a good movie on a Sunday, with good food if she is not playing league hockey.

“The absolute adrenalin rush, the chase and the competitiveness, this is where you can forget about all your responsibilities for the time you are on the field and just be your best”, says Danielle.

She is inspired by her family, with her younger sister being a hockey and cricket player, her mom having played netball in the past and her dad Quintin played rugby for KZN defence u21 and played Zululand Rhino rugby for 8 years.

Danielle is excited and anxious at the same time as the Northern Coastal KZN Regional of the SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge will take place at Grantleigh College on Saturday on May 28.

The young hockey player lives by these words, “To God be the glory”.

CaribbeanTales and Durban FilmMart Join Forces to Support African Women Filmmakers

CaribbeanTales and the Durban FilmMart present CineFAM - Africa, an accelerator program for African women filmmakers. 

CaribbeanTales Media Group (CTMG) and the Durban FilmMart (DFM) today announce a new partnership to support the development of original serialized television content created by women from Africa and the African Diaspora. 

 CineFAM is an initiative of CaribbeanTales to support bold original films by women of colour worldwide. “Cinefam” in the Haitian-Creole language means “films by women”. This Accelerator aims to build capacity and creative leadership among women of colour who are underrepresented in leadership roles.  

 “We are absolutely thrilled to embark on this new partnership with CaribbeanTales. The Accelerator Incubator Program will provide an exciting new platform to support the development of women-led audio-visual content in Africa, and promote more representational narratives. Through this partnership, we hope to build a bridge between the two organisations that will raise the voices of African women filmmakers,” said Toni Monty, Head of Durban Film Office and DFM the co-production and finance market, which is a joint programme of the eThekwini Municipality’s industry development unit the Durban Film Office (DFO) and the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), South Africa.

 “CaribbeanTales was founded and run by women of color from the Caribbean and African Diaspora so this initiative is close to our hearts. This partnership provides an unprecedented platform and opportunities for South African, African and African Diaspora women film producers,” says CaribbeanTales CEO Frances-Anne Solomon. “Africa is a natural partner for us in the Caribbean and we couldn’t be more pleased to be building a relationship with DFM to bring our Incubator Accelerator program to Africa!” 

 CineFAM - Africa, which will be led by CaribbeanTales Vice-President Nicole Brooks, is a two-day program that will take place during the Durban FilmMart July 14 to 17, 2017.

 For this first edition of CineFAM - Africa, South African women producers and African women producers living in South Africa are invited to submit their film projects of original serialized television content for consideration. A total of five projects will be selected, and entered into the program to be held at DFM exposing participants to CaribbeanTales’ accelerator unique process including a great overview and guide on how to create the basis of story, marketing, pitching and financing.

 The accelerator will culminate in a Mini-Pitch. The winner will qualify to participate in the renowned CaribbeanTales Incubator (CTI), in Toronto, Canada. CTI is a year-round development and production hub for Caribbean and Caribbean Diaspora Producers that aims to create strong, compelling and sustainable content for the global market. The CTI's goal will increase the pool of world-class indigenous film and television content and build the Region’s audio-visual capacity.

 Submissions are now open. To submit a project USE THIS LINK TO APPLY or visit www.caribbeantalesincubator.com. Submissions close on 16 June 2017.

 -ends

8th Durban FilmMart announces Official Project Selection for 2017 edition

A record 22 fiction feature films and documentaries projects in development from around Africa have been selected for the 8th edition of the Durban FilmMart (DFM) which takes place in Durban, South Africa from July 14 to 17. 

 

A joint programme of the eThekwini Municipality’s film industry development unit, the Durban Film Office (DFO) and the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), the DFM aims to showcase and increase awareness of African cinema through stimulating film production on the continent by encouraging collaborations amongst African filmmakers. 

 

The projects this year have been selected from across Africa, including Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Benin, DRC, Namibia, Somalia, Mozambique and South Africa. 

 

"We are more than delighted with this year’s submissions and selection of projects," says Toni Monty, Head of the DFO. "We have a range of countries represented as well as an interesting selection of topics and themes, which we are sure will engage and pique the interest of the visiting experts and peers. With 12 feature films and 10 documentaries, this promises to be a bumper edition and we look forward to welcoming and engaging with the film-makers on these projects in the hope that the DFM will act as a facilitator and catalyst for the further development of these films.”

 

“Ultimately the proof is when we see the projects come to life and get produced, distributed and screened,” Monty goes on to say. “Many of the projects selected from the DFM go on to be granted further opportunities to develop at other markets and incubators around the world. We have seen them doing well at festivals or picking up good distribution deals for cinema release. In the past we have seen many of these projects come to life and premiere at the Durban International Film Festival – a wonderful testimony to the value of the Durban FilmMart.”

 

The DFM provides a platform for African filmmakers, industry professionals, broadcasters and potential financiers, to come connect, network and engage in important conversations around projects. Over the years it has become an important networking space for film-makers and a solid springboard for new thinking and collaboration between African and other international film-makers.

 

The selected fiction and documentary film-makers will attend the DFM and will be meeting one-on-one with possible co-producers and financiers in the Finance Forum. They will also pitch their work to a panel of commissioning editors from local and international funders and financiers, and meet and network with a wide range of industry experts and possible collaborators during the four-day event.

Fiction

An African Tale (Kenya) – produced by Shirleen Wangar and directed by Gilbert Lukalia

Border (Benin) – produced by Idrissou Mora Kpai and directed by Arouna Sacca Mora Kpai

Borderlines (South Africa) – produced Kim Williams and Paul Egan and directed by Meg Rickards 

Dabulaphu (Short Cut) (South Africa) - produced Kethiwe Ngcobo and David Max Brown and directed by Norman Maake

Matigari (Congo) – produced by Dilima Luzuko, Balufu Bakupa Kanyinda, Fidelis  Duker, Cathy Muigai and directed by Balufu Bakupa Kanyinda

Miles from Nowhere (South Africa) – produced by Bongiwe Selane and directed by Samantha Nel

Rainbows Don’t Last Long (Egypt) – produced by Halina Dyrschka and directed by Mayye Zayed

Richard was Here (South Africa) – produced by Akona Matyila and Jack Chiang and directed by Akona Matyila 

The Girl from Wereldend (Namibia) – produced by Dylan Voogt and directed by Jana Brückner

The Lotus (South Africa) – produced by Bonita Sithebe and directed by Philani Sithebe

The Sovereign (South Africa) – produced by Gary King, Cait Pansegrouw and Elias Ribeiro and directed by Wim Steytler

The Woods (South Africa) - produced and directed by Kofi Zwane 

Documentaries

As I Want (Zay Mana Aiyza) (Egypt) – produced by Karim El Hakim and directed by Samaher Alqadi

Behind Closed Doors (Morocco) – produced by Cyriac Auriol, Hind Saih, Karoline Henkel and directed by Yakhout Elhabibi

Better Sundays (Kenya) – produced by Kelvin Kimathi and directed by Lydia Matata

Desterrados (Mozambique) – produced by Fabio Ribeiro and directed by Yara Costa

Encore (working title) (South Africa) – produced by Liesel Priem, Jolynn Minnaar and directed by Jessie Zinn and Jethro Westraad

Lobola, A Bride's True Price (South Africa) – produced by Sarah Basyouny and directed by Sihle Hlophe

Rajada Dalka (Nation’s Hope) (Somalia) – produced by Andy Jones, Cynthia Kane, and Lyric R Cabraland directed by Hana Mire

Softie (Kenya) – produced by Matrid Nyagah and Linda Ogeda and directed by Soko Sam

Working Womxn (South Africa) – produced by Tiny Mungwe and directed by Shanelle Jewnarain

Y Revolution (South Africa) – produced and directed by Suzanne du Toit 

“Of course filmmakers who do not have projects selected for the market are also invited to attend as delegates as there is a full programme of masterclasses, forums and networking events during the DFM..”

For more information on the Durban FilmMart and to register as a delegate visit www.durbanfilmmart.com

-ends

SPAR KZN School Girls' Hockey Challenge, Umvoti uThukela and Umzinyathi Regional at Wembley College -Greytown - May 13

The Umvoti, uThukela and Umzinyathi Regional of the SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge will take place at Wembley College in Greytown next Saturday, May 13.

 

The small, yet traditionally very festive regional, sees five schools participating this year in a round-robin format with four times winners Wartburg Kirchdorf defending their title against host school Wembley College, Greytown High School, Deutsche Schule Hermannsburg and Domino Servite. Games will last 30 minutes, with 15 minutes play each way.

 

The defending champs Wartburg Kirchdorf have been hard at work in preparation for next week’s tournament, “We  hosted our own pre-season hockey tournament last term ending in the final against Carter High which ended in a draw,” explains coach Lisa Misselhorn. “And we attended the annual Voortrekker festival in which we won our pool and lost in the final to KEHS. It was a very pleasing result given that we have seven new players on the team.”

 

“We still have a number of players who have been in the team for a year or two and know the expectations of the tournament,” she continues. “And we are delighted that one of our players Elona Engelbrecht, who is U17, was chosen for the KZN U19 Inland Kites Team, which has been a major boost for the team’s morale.”

 

“Having won the regional tournament for four consecutive years, we are very aware that the other schools would like to have a turn in winning but we will not go down without giving of our best,” she says. “So, we would like to say good luck to everyone playing, and we look forward to a great day of hockey.”

 

The victorious team of this eighth regional will join winners from the Ugu and Sisonke Regional,  King Edward, Ferrum Skool (Newcastle), St Anne’s College (PMB North), St John’s DSG (PMB Central), Amanzimtoti High School (Durban South), Our Lady of Fatima (Durban North) and Durban Girls College (Durban Central). The remaining two regionals are to be played later this month.

SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge Southern KZN Regional Suid Natal Skool: Saturday 22 April

 

SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge

Southern KZN Regional

Suid Natal Skool: Saturday 22 April

 

Ardent first team hockey teams are heading to Suid-Natal Hoërskool to partake in the seventh SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge on Saturday 22 April. 

 

The zealous participants will be taking part in the Southern KZN Regional. A combination of nine teams from Sisonke and Ugu areas will be taking to the fields in the hopes of being crowned champion of this region. Back to defend their title, the versatile team, King Edward High School from Matatiele are enthusiastic to retain the title for the third concurrent year. 

 

King Edward, having progressed to the Grand Finals held hockey giants Durban Girls’ College to a goalless draw in their pool match last year.  After being level on points in the pool stage, College had an edge on them on goal difference.

 

The respected and quiet giant slayers will be taking on their feisty neighbours, Kokstad College and the hard working Creston College, both previous winners at this regional. Joining them on the day will be host team, Suid-Natal Hoerskool, travelling teams Ixopo High School, Scottburgh High School and St Patrick’s College from Kokstad and local teams Port Shepstone and Southcity Christian School. 


The duration of the games will be 23 minutes with a 2 minute change over. The nine teams will be separated into two pools. Pool A will have five teams battling it out with Southcity, KEHS, Ixopo, Scottburgh and Sheppie High taking each other on. In Pool B, previous champs Creston and Kokstad meet early on, with Suid-Natal and St Patricks rounding off the four teams. 

 

At the conclusion of the pool games, the top two teams from each pool will meet in a cross pool playoff.  Points for the day are four points for a win, two for a draw with goals, or 1 point for a goalless draw and zero points for a loss. Two fields will be the scene for all the action, with the top field, Field A having the final on it.

 

Thereafter, the top eight teams will be revealed according to their points, they will all compete in the cross-pool playoffs and saving the best for last, the regional final as the decisive game of the day.

 

Coach for King Edward High School, Deidre Duminy shared, “We have a young, enthusiastic team that is raring to go! Our team is looking good. We have had a few games already and it has been going well, but we will be working hard through the holidays. The girls have huge hearts, and would love to make it three in a row, and get to travel to Durban again this year to take on the other finalists at the Grand Finals.”

 

The Southern KZN Regional for the SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge will converge at Suid-Natal Hoerskool for nine schools with the winner progressing to the Grand Finals that takes place in July in Durban.


For more info like the tournament’s Facebook page.


ENDS

 

SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge Durban Central Regional 3 Schools Trust: Sunday 26 March

 

SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge

Durban Central Regional

3 Schools Trust: Sunday 26 March

 

Retaining their 100% record of the Durban Central Regional, Durban Girls College, raised the cup for the seventh time in the SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge which took place at the 3 Schools’ Trust astroturf in Glenwood today (March 26).

 

In a seamless display of exquisite hockey, College dominated from the get go showing off why they have owned this regional since the tournament’s inception. Advancing effortlessly through to the finals, they met St Henry’s Marist College for the second time, having met earlier in the pool games. College maintained possession in the crowning game, breaking St Henry’s defense three times and not allowing any opportunities to find the back of their goals. Goal scorers for DGC Emma Sharratt, Bulelwa Mzimela and Georgia Cloete respectively, all were in the right spot at the right time to convert the field goals enabling them to determinedly claim victory over St Henry’s.

 

DCG Captain Lori Niemand, who was ecstatic with the win, said “We always love the SPAR tournament as it is loads of fun and there is great sportsmanship shown on and off the field.  Today we worked hard as a team, and kept passing to each other and communicating well, leading to the final outcome.”

 

The tournament, which was hosted by Durban Girls High School, had nine Durban schools participating including Durban Girls’ College; Durban Girls’ High School; Hoërskool Port Natal; Inanda High School; the INK team comprising of players from the Inanda, Ntumzuma and KwaMashu districts; Maris Stella and St Henry’s and newcomers to the tourney Durban Girls Secondary and Rossburgh High School.

 

St Henry’s quietly advanced through their pool games and finished second on the log, behind College. Durban Girls High and Maris Stella ended their efforts at the top of their pool. The four teams proceeded to a cross pool play off. Durban Girls College’s centre forward Georgia Cloete landed her teams two solid goals to Maris Stella’s nil sadly knocking them out of play.

 

In St Henry’s semi-final, they took on hosts Durban Girls’ High, with the final whistle revealing a one all scoreline. Five players from each side lined up for the deciding penalty shootout. After each team had five attempts, the scores still were level on three all. The game then advanced to a golden goal or sudden death. Melissa Calitz for St Henry’s eased her way to the right, going around DGHS’s Demi Tait to go one up. Latoya Boon then set off for DGHS and followed a similar path to Calitz trying to round Unathi Sibeko, but her attempt scared off by the diving keeper scraped agonizingly past the right-hand goal post which meant St Henry’s were through to the regional final.

  

A delighted coach for Durban Girls’ College, Bell Meek said after the prize giving, “I was impressed with the girls, they played with a really good spirit in everything they did. Throughout the course of the day, College showed great improvement, and built on that with every game. I was very happy with their progress.”

 

Complimenting her opposition, Meek stated, “I would also like to commend St Henry’s, they are playing fantastic hockey and with every year that passes, they get better and better!”

 

Talking about her team, Meek enthused, “We have a young team, with only two matrics. The youngsters stepped up and supported the experienced players rounding off the team nicely. I coached the U16 team last year, and a number of the youngsters have come through to the first team, so they are familiar with my game plan. Adding to the mix is my assistant coach, Kerry Gaze who is an incredible help. It is nice to be able to bounce off ideas with her. This is her first year with College and I must say we are a good balance.”

 

Concluding, Meek said, “After our indoor season, where we finished off middle of the table, this is an encouraging start to our outdoor season. We are heading to the St Mary’s Waverly tournament next and our goal is to just play good hockey. We are aiming for a top ten, and if we achieve that I will be extremely chuffed!”

 

Durban Girls’ College is the sixth team to go through to the Grand Finals that takes place at St Mary’s in July, and will join Our Lady of Fatima, who won the Durban North Regionals on Saturday, March 25, and four other teams that have already secured their berth at the tournament, Ferrum High School (Northern KZN); St John’s DSG (PMB Central); St Anne’s College (PMB North) and Amanzimtoti High School (DBN South).

 

-ends

 

 

Pic by Jonathan Burton

 

Interview with  TAYLA GIBBONS - Captain of the Ashton International College First XI Hockey team.

Interview with  TAYLA GIBBONS - Captain of the Ashton International College First XI Hockey team.

Captain of Ashton International College, Defending Champions of the Durban North Regional, Tayla Gibbons is looking forward to a feast of hockey as she leads her team in the next tourney of SPAR KZN School Girls' Hockey Challenge which takes place at Crawford La Lucia this Saturday, March 25.

The feisty all rounder player, whose role model is celebrated SA Hockey player Pietie Coetzee, usually plays forward or link but is happy in other positions and “will play where I am needed.”

The 18-year old, who enjoys scuba diving in her spare time, also manages to play indoor and outdoor netball and soccer for the school.

Based in Ballito on the KZN coast, Tayla started playing hockey when she was 6 in Grade 1 and says that what she most enjoys about the game is “the family atmosphere that is created by the wonderful team and coaches and the obvious bonus of making such great friendships along the way.”

“The best bit of advice we got from our coaches, who are so passionate about the game, was to simply accept what happens on the field and play through no matter what. It's definitely got me through so many tough games and situations,” she says.

 The grade 12 learner, cites biology as her favourite subject, and wants to study advanced life support or occupational therapy either at UCT, Stellenbosch or in the UK, but not before travelling a little bit beforehand.

Ashton, has won this regional three times, and have made it through to the finals which are played at St Mary’s DSG in Kloof in July. Gibbons recalls how, despite the freezing cold and wet weather, playing in the finals last year  “really brought brought the team so close together. It was fantastic.”

And words she lives by? "Never give up" its a phrase my dad's been telling me since I was as a little girl. It helps when things get tough and you have to push through.”

Ashton joins host school Crawford College La Lucia together with Crawford College North Coast, Danville Park Girls’ High School, Our Lady Fatima DCS and Reddam House uMhlanga at Crawford La Lucia in the Durban North Regional on Saturday, 25 March. The regional begins at 7am and is in a round robin format with games lasting 18 minutes each.

For more information like the Facebook page.

 

-ends

 

SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge Durban North Regional Crawford La Lucia: Saturday 25 March

SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge

Durban North Regional

Crawford La Lucia: Saturday 25 March

 

Seven teams will be taking to the turf to participate in the Durban North Regional of the SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge on Saturday 25 March at Crawford La Lucia.

 

It will be an early start to the regional, with the round robin games getting underway just after 7am. Teams will be playing in one direction in short 18minute burst games with the two top teams battling it out at the end of the day in the regional final.

 

Defending champions Ashton International College will be keen to reclaim the title for the fourth time in the seven years’ history of this tournament. Challenging them will be host school, Crawford College La Lucia together with Crawford College North Coast, Danville Park Girls’ High School, Our Lady Fatima DCS and Reddam House uMhlanga.

 

Previous winner, Danville Park (2012 and 2014) would like to have their name engraved on the trophy for a third time. And if Fatima’s feisty spirit is anything to go by, they too would love to lift the trophy for the second time, having taken the regional title in the inaugural tournament in 2011.

 

Tournament Director, Les Galloway said, “We are in for an exciting day of hockey at this regional. I have chatted to a number of the coaches and it appears that after a fantastic indoor season, the schools are raring to go with a number of teams eyeing out the regional trophy.”

 

Continuing, Galloway enthused, “What is also uplifting for the tournament, we have three new teams participating this weekend. We welcome Reddam House uMhlanga to the Durban North Regional and wish them well as they take to the turf. And two new teams that will participate in the Durban Central Regional, we welcome Rossburgh High and Durban Girls Secondary.”

 

MD for SPAR KZN, Max Oliva said, “The long-term weather forecast is looking a bit damp, but I guarantee the weather will not deter from any of the action expected on the turf! In the four previous tournaments, this year, we have been in awe by the big hearts that have stepped onto the fields. The sportsmanship displayed has been admirable, and I look forward to seeing more of this throughout the challenge!”

 

At the conclusion of the 22 games, the Durban North Regional will reveal the fifth team who will go through to the Grand Finals that takes place at St Mary’s in July. Four teams have already secured their berth at the tournament, Ferrum High School (Northern KZN); St John’s DSG (PMB Central); St Anne’s College (PMB North) and Amanzimtoti High School (DBN South).

 

For more info like the tournament’s Facebook page.

 

ENDS

 

 

SPAR KZN School Girls Hockey Challenge - PMB Central and North Regionals 11 March 2017

SPAR KZN School Girls Hockey Challenge

Epworth and UKZN Hockey Grounds: Saturday 11 March

The SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge welcomes back St Anne’s and a new team, St John’s DSG to the Grand Finals that will be held in July, as both teams were crowned regional champions in the 2017 Pietermaritzburg tournaments.

Ending Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High’s dominance in the Pietermaritzburg Central Regional, St John’s DSG toppled their 100% record when they beat them 1-0 in a riveting game in the round robin at Epworth College. Striker for St John’s DSG, Lise le Roux knocked in the all-important, only goal against the Green Machine, securing her teams place in the Grand Finals.

Coach for the Yellow Sticks, Lyndal ‘Binks’ Robertson stated, “The girls attitude today was what won us the tournament. They were phenomenal! The group of girls we have, have done well in other sports this term and this filtered onto the turf. I see great potential for our small school with such a big heart. We are trying to instil the mantra of ‘love what you do, love the game’ and this was evident on the pitch. All the players contributed, and the pace going forward resulted in some exciting goals.”

Continuing, ‘Binks’ said, “Luck was on our side, there were strong contenders in both tournaments, and it could have gone either way. For us against GHS and Epworth, we happened to connect earlier as a team. Those big hearts managed to put the ball in the back of the box, and that made the world of difference. On the field, we defended well and when we got to the other end of the field, we capitalised. And now, for the first time, we are heading to the Grand Finals. Everyone is so delighted.”

Retaining their Pietermaritzburg North regional title for the sixth time, St Anne’s had a bit of a yo-yo day on the turf at UKZN Pietermaritzburg, starting off with a win against long-time rivals, The Wickham Collegiate. Their second game, the defending champs were held to a 2 all draw against hosts, Hoërskool Voortrekker in a hard fought 25-minute tussle. St Anne’s then defeated Grace College 3-0. In their final game, Saints took on surprise package of the day, Treverton who had a phenomenal tournament and at one stage looked promising to possibly advance through to the Grand Finals. Saints lifted their game, leaving Treverton unable to stop them as they netted three solid goals.

Coaching the northern Saints for the fourth year, former SA Men’s coach Carlos Pereira enthused, “It was a great day for us. We played some nice hockey and passed the ball around well. We had good control in games, and a couple of patches where we let in goals. We were fortunate that our goals for us were stronger than where we let goals in today. But it was a good lesson, we know where we need to improve and where we need to work. But as I said, it was a great day of hockey overall!”

At each tournament, an umpire is recognised as the Most Promising Umpire, two umpires were acknowledged. For the second time, Sibusiso Ndlovu, a scholar from Voortrekker High was recognised for his umpiring abilities. Joining his is uber cool, Alana Marais representing Howick High School. Marais displayed superb levels of calm in all aspects of her game.

Speaking at the prize giving, Tournament Director, Les Galloway said, “A hearty congratulations to the twelve teams that took part in our tournament today! The action, both on and off the pitch was fantastic. I believe that everyone had an marvellously, enjoyable time. Your schools can be very proud of the way you represented them.”

MD for SPAR KZN, Max Oliva said “I salute you all. It is wonderful to see the camaraderie both on and off the pitch. Players having taken each other on, embrace each other in a friendly hug on the side-lines. This is the true meaning of sportsmanship and I am delighted to witness this!”

Two more teams have been decided for the Grand Final, St Anne’s College and St John’s DSG join Ferrum in July. Ten regional champions will meet at the Grand Finals that takes place at St Mary’s DSG.

For more info like our Facebook page.

SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge 3 Schools Trust: Sunday 12 March

SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge
3 Schools Trust: Sunday 12 March

For the third time in a row, the first hockey team from Amanzimtoti High School raised the trophy as the Durban South Regional champions in the SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge.
It was anyone’s trophy going into the last game of the round robin, with the statisticians working hard double checking the points. As the final whistle blew, Kuswag Skool had a guaranteed place in the final and a penalty shootout was required to decide on the second team, taking to the field for a Toti duel were Kingsway High School and the defending champions, Amanzimtoti.
Kingsway took the first attempt with Leoni de Beer meeting the full force of brave keeper, Nomcebo Maseko who charged out and met her at the top of the circle. Youngster, Mvelo Mthombeni from Amazimtoti slotted in her attempt putting the score to 0-1 after the first round. Kingsway’s second attempt was reawarded as Maseko overzealously played the ball outside the circle. On the retake, Nosipho Mngadi levelled the score for Kingsway. 14-year-old Anani Xozwa chance was thwarted as she found the courageous Teneze Csouros.
At the end of the second round, the score was one a piece, Erin Main managed to avoid a flying Maseko, with an open goal tempting her, her shot went agonisingly wide for KHS. Captain for Amanzimtoti, Phiwo Myeza took to the spot and fired in her shot, with the ball floating over the cross bar. The decider then went to a sudden death. Mngadi put her hand up and stepped up to the spot, she found the right boot of a charging Maseko with the ball flying out of the circle. The captain, Myeza then determinedly found the back of the net in her attempt, taking her team into the final.
Coach for Amanzimtoti High School, Shanna Hughes said, “Phiwo came up to me after she missed her first attempt and ensured me, ‘Don’t worry Ma’am, I’ve got this and she did. She also scored the goal in the final, leading by example!”
The quick fire twenty-minute final between Kuswag and Amanzimtoti had loads of action in the middle of the field. Myeza managed to capitalise on an opportunity, finding the back of the box for the only goal. Kuswag, however never gave up and as the clock ticked down, their urgency increased but they were just unable to penetrate the impressive defence from Toti.
Continuing, Hughes stated, “What a hectic day, typical Toti girls, there was no sailing through for us! It had to be nail biting! Murphy’s law, our first game in any SPAR tournament is always a draw and we drew against Grosvenor. We have a very good team, and they are very intuitive, they shift together, and do what they need, together!”
“Our goalie is amazing, she has no hassle charging out of her box. It took a brilliant team effort. All around, with all the girls’ we really wanted it. It was an awesome day, the atmosphere was brilliant.”
Coach for Kingsway High School, Lloyd Jones said, “Everything went right for us. We had quite a few young ones and they put their hands up! The day before we participated in the Scottburgh tournament and we go beaten, physically and on the scoreline. It was a hard day, knowing we had six tough games today we pulled in some U16s. My player of the team was most certainly Nosipho, who didn’t shy away from any challenge!”
Chatting about the penalty shootout, Jones surmised, “Look, we are new to 8 second penalties so didn’t quite know what to do. I asked the girls if any of them wanted to try and the youngsters put up their hands and impressed me no end! My whole team did. We try to look for the silver lining, we won the lucky draw and everyone was so chuffed with that!”
In each region, an umpire is recognised for his or her abilities and is awarded the Most Promising Umpire prize. At the Durban South Regional umpire Kalvin van Rensburg representing Kingsway High School shone with the whistle and took the honours of the M.P.U. this year.
MD for SPAR KZN, Max Oliva stated, “In the blustery, hot conditions the action on the turf kept turning up a notch as the day wore on! Thank you to Grosvenor Girls’, Kingsway, New Forest, Queensburgh Girls’ High, Werda and of course, our two finalists, for coming down and putting on such a wonderful display of hockey. Well done to all!”
Amanzimtoti takes the fourth berth at the Grand Finals and join St John’s DSG and St Anne’s who both earned their place on Saturday at the Pietermaritzburg Regionals. The three teams will be accompanied by Ferrum who were crowned the Norther KZN Regional in Pongola
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