Founder and Chairperson of the Ray Mdaka Foundation, Raymond Mdaka.
By: Refilwe Sebola
The Ray Mdaka Foundation is hosting its annual primary school sports tournament in Ga-Mokgwathi village in Bolobedu this weekend, from Friday to Saturday.
The tournament, which started in 2022, is an initiative of the current South African national under-20 head coach, Raymond Mdaka, who is from the same village.
Mdaka, a retired school teacher who left the profession in 2016 to focus on soccer coaching, aims to inspire young people in his home villages to pursue success in sports. His ultimate goal is to see talented young players from his home villages representing the national teams.
Eight primary school clubs from the Mawa circuit will compete for the championship in soccer and netball. The top four clubs will receive soccer kits and balls sponsored by Sunbake.
Other sponsors of the event include Paint-Pot and the Tzaneen municipality, who have sponsored the event with catering and water, respectively. Justice Chabalala, the captain of Premier Soccer League club Chippa United, will be among the tournament’s VIPs. In the past, the tournament hosted former FIFA referee Victor Hlungwani.
School Netball team parading the Netball kit they won n the Ray Mdaka tournament last year.
