September 28, 2006
By Lucky Sindane
NOT EVEN the heat could sap the spirit of the thousands of youngsters who gathered at the Randburg Sports Complex to take part in the 2006 Absa Joburg Indigenous Games on Wednesday, 27 September.
Dressed in white T-shirts with black print, the youngsters arrived in buses, singing and dancing along the way. All the participants were winners from the regional round in which more than 15 000 youngsters took part.
Young ones playing kgati, a game in which one player skips the rope
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
Games played included dibeke, diketo, dithini, blindfold cat and mouse, intonga, jukskei, kgati, kho kho, legusha, mmela, morabaraba, musical chairs, needle and thread, pillow fight, sack race, tennis race, three-legged race, tug of war, wheelbarrow race and get down.
Opening the games, Nandi Mayathula-Khoza, the member of the mayoral committee for community development, said: "As the City of Johannesburg we continue to celebrate and promote these games with pride. Together with our partners, Absa [Bank], we are showcasing the work that went into reviving and promoting indigenous games at competitive and developmental level … All those who were selected are urged to represent their regions well."
Then it was time for the youngsters to show each other what they were made of. Those who took part in morabaraba, musical chairs, mmela, kgati, pillow fight and diketo escaped the heat as their games were played indoors. But it got rather loud when the pillow fighting got under way, with the participants' yelling. Region 9's Valencia Malgas and Robyn Turner fought with each other over and over again - no-one wanted to give up the fight but Malgas eventually fell to the ground twice, and Turner claimed victory.
The young girls playing kgati were amazing. Kgati is a game for three - two swing the skipping rope while the third does a variety of tricks while jumping over it. However, the games were not just for youngsters. Lazarus Kutumela, 56, and 58-year-old Eric Mokwele from Region 7 took part in morabaraba.
Grand masters playing morabaraba, a game of wits
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
"These are our traditional games and we are very happy they are organised every year by the City," Kutumela said. "These games shouldn't just end here at city level; they should be extended to national and international level. We would love to represent our country at international level."
Meanwhile, despite the burning sun outside, participants seemed to be enjoying themselves more than those indoors. Many participants took part in intonga, or stick fighting, a game for those who are not afraid of pain. Two opponents face off against each other, with each one expected to hit the other with a stick. The hits are counted.
Two youngsters, nicknamed Bolo and Van Damme by their friends, took centre stage. They beat each other over three rounds until Bolo gave up the fight, yelling, "Sho … mama yo!"
"I love these indigenous games; my favourite one is diketo," said Alex's Peter Cele. "I always play it with my friends in Alexandra."
Speaking about the banking group's sponsorship of the games, Tebogo Modibo, Absa's marketing manager, sponsorships, said: "With the majority of 'Generation Next' being consumed by the techno world of digital games and gadgets, and while not discounting the recently more popular sports such as soccer, rugby and cricket, [this competition] is about reminding the youth of today of the games that our forefathers used to play. They form a rich part of our upbringing and our tradition."
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