Netball included in Inyathi New Year’s Day tournament

Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter 

NETBALL has been added to the Moyo K Cup, an annual tournament that is staged at Badala Business Centre in Inyathi on New Year’s Day, which has over the years been solely a football competition. 

Four teams that are participating in the football tournament have been asked to provide a netball team as well. 

Khumbulani Moyo, the South Africa-based sponsor of the annual event said they have been contemplating having netball as part of the tournament for the past two years. 

“Netball is an idea we have been trying to introduce for the past two years since women have been disadvantaged in all sports so we are trying to support the up-and-coming women to participate in sports so that they can create opportunities to play for the provincial and national teams,’’ Moyo said.

Bubi, Shooting Stars, Inyathi Rovers and Black Swallows are the teams who will take to the football field as well as netball court on Wednesday. 

Moyo, the Highlanders South African chapter secretary-general is looking forward to unearthing new talent at the tournament. 

Highlanders striker, Prince Dube used to play in the tournament for Shooting Stars, a team where he sharpened his football skills while at Somvubu High School. 

“We are expecting to get new talent, up-and-coming players so that they can be exposed to bigger teams. We want to bring the community together like we always do every year and making sure that we add value to the community regarding crime, most of the people get into these drinking habits so we want to stay away from such activities on that day.”

Winners of the football will get a full kit and uniforms are also in store for the netball champions. Cash prizes will also be handed out to all the football and netball teams. 

Shooting Stars are the defending champions, having defeated Inyathi Rovers 1-0 in a well-attended final witnessed by hundreds of people at the beginning of this year. A first half-goal by Wilfred Jimu was enough for Shooting Stars to overcome Inyathi Rovers and retain the trophy they won at the start of 2018. 

The annual tournament, heading into its 7th year is bankrolled by the Moyo brothers, Khumbulani and Mphilisi. Khumbulani owns a construction firm in South Africa while Mphilisi runs a cross border transport company. — @Mdawini_29