Motsepe Foundation cofounder Patrice Motsepe
Photo by: Duane Daws
The Motsepe Foundation has committed about R117.5-million to the Department of Basic Education (DBE) for sports and music development at schools across South Africa.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga received the donation from the foundation’s cofounders Patrice Motsepe and Precious Motsepe, at the foundation’s annual general meeting, this week.
The meeting was held in conjunction with the annual meeting of JSE-listed mining firm African Rainbow Minerals’(ARM’s), Broad-Based Economic Empowerment Trust. Patrice Motsepe, who is also ARM chairperson, expressed his excitement in supporting the development of school sports and culture.
The donation would be used to fund the development of football and netball, as well as choral and traditional music programmes, which Motshekga highlighted played an important role in the development of children and would result in the growth of communities’ future role models.
The donation would be spread from 2016 to 2025.
Over the first five years, R55-million would be allocated to the Kay Motsepe Schools Football Cup tournament, the ABC Motsepe Schools Choral and Traditional Eisteddfod and the Kay Motsepe Schools Netball Cup tournament, which Motshekga noted would be open to the about 25 000 public and private schools across the country.
The balance of R62.5-million would be spent from 2021 to 2025.
Motshekga pointed out that the Kay Motsepe Schools Football Cup had been held for ten years and had the largest cash prize for a schools’ football tournament in the world, with the winning school receiving R1-million from the R3.4-million on offer for the top performing schools.
She noted that the South African Football Association (Safa) had been supporting and partnering with the foundation and the DBE to further develop schools’ football.
Discussions between the DBE and the foundation were currently ongoing to determine the prize money allocation for winners of the various categories of the ABC Motsepe Schools Choral and Traditional Eisteddfod, as well as the Kay Motsepe Schools Netball Cup.
“Sport and cultural activities in education help advance social cohesion and are an integral part of the holistic educational development of our children,” Motshekga said.
She added that the donation would “go a long way to advancing the development of learners” and pointed out that research had shown that schools which had been successful in sports also tended to have higher academic results, while some of the best schools in the country had strong choral music programmes.
“We have to enhance the national identity of our learners and promote our diverse cultural understanding,” Motshekga stated.
The handover was overseen by Safa president Danny Jordaan and Spanish premier football division La Liga president Javier Tebas, who was reportedly in South Africa to open a local La Liga office, which would help facilitate tournaments between teams in the domestic Premier Soccer League and teams from La Liga.