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O.R Tambo Choral Music Festival – A Celebration Through Music 🗓

The Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture hosted the 20th edition of the O.R Tambo Choral Music Festival in East London on the 28th of October.
In celebrating the life and legacy of O.R Tambo, 27 choirs battled for the number one spot. The music festival forms part of the department’s plan to develop choral music in the province.
The festival, which has been named after the country’s struggle stalwart, Oliver Reginald Tambo, is aimed at preserving his legacy. Tambo’s love for choral music is well documented as he was a song writer, a choir conductor and member of the St Peters’ Junior Secondary school choir during his schooling years.
The choirs that participated included Matthews Singers and Butterworth Services Choir. These choirs have lifted the Eastern Cape choral music flag high and have won prestigious awards and prizes on national stages.
The department hosted the festival in partnership with the two music associations of the province, namely Guild of Choral Indigenous Music Practitioners in Eastern Cape (GCIMP-EC) and Eastern Cape Choral Music Association (ECCMA).

Children’s Awareness Programme to Curb Youth Drug-Abuse 🗓

The Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture’s Special Programmes Unit held a children’s awareness programme on the 18th of October at Schornville Primary School.
The programme was attended by several key stakeholders including, officials from the Department of Education, SAPS and the Department of Social Development, alongside learners from a nearby youth care centre. The awareness programme aimed at educating on substance abuse leading to GBV, targeting the school’s Grade7 class ahead of their high school journey. The representatives from the youth facility appealed to the youth to shy away from substance abuse and the lasting consequences of succumbing to peer pressure.
This is the beginning of the Special Programmes Unit awareness campaign of partnering with schools to address issues faced by youth in their respective areas in a bid to promote social cohesion and nation building.

Chris Hani Jazz Festival 🗓

Cradock comes alive to the soothing sounds of the Chris Hani Jazz Festival
The Cradock local economy received a boost as jazz enthusiasts flocked to the town to watch their national and local artists perform at the Chris Hani Jazz Festival on 20 October 2023. The jazz festival was hosted by the department in partnership with the Chris Hani District Municipality and the East London Guild Theatre.
Amanda Mankayi, Bongeziwe Mabandla, Mthatha group 047 and Zadwesh were among the renowned artists that uplifted, inspired, and healed the audience with their soulful performances.
Various local artists selected from our 8 districts shared the stage with these great jazz musicians. The local artists rubbed shoulders with professionals and receive an opportunity to expose their talent.
The jazz festival is a provincial platform aimed at developing and exposing local talent. The festival provided a significant boost for the local economy.

DSRAC Hosts EC Provincial Summer Games 🗓

DSRAC Hosts EC Provincial Summer Games
Scores of young athletes flocked to East London to represent their districts at the Provincial Summer Games, which took place from the 13th – 14th of October 2023.
Schools from all eight districts competed in the selection process that determined the athletes that would represent the Eastern Cape at the National Schools Championships in December. The championships featured a range of sport and recreational codes, including softball, rugby sevens, cricket, gymnastics, morabaraba and kgati, as well as basketball, table tennis and goalball which featured both able-bodied participation, and adapted versions of the codes for athletes with disabilities.
The Provincial Schools Summer Games Championships continue to be the cornerstone of the country’s sport development as they identify and nurture school-level talent in the summer sport codes. It ensures that learners are provided the opportunity to participate in school sport activities, thus creating a platform for recognising top performing athletes.

Geneva Scholtz Women’s Rugby Tournament Fosters Women’s Rugby in the Eastern Cape 🗓

The Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture hosted the Geneva Scholtz Women’s Rugby Tournament in honour of the late rugby player, Geneva Scholtz. The event was held from the 6th – 8th October 2023 in Middelburg.
The department, in partnership with the Eastern Province (EP) and Border Rugby Unions has taken a note that nationally and provincially rugby is a priority sporting code, for its potential to address gender issues and equalize the playing fields for all genders. Women’s rugby has also become one of the most successful stories in the Eastern Cape. All the eight districts were represented in the tournament, and this year, netball was also added as part of developing the tournament to accommodate various sporting codes.
The tournament is an annual sport event held in memory of Geneva Scholtz who passed away in 2013 while representing her club, Middleburg Stormers in the Eastern Province Rugby League match in Humansdorp. Geneva also represented the Junior u20 Springbok team and played for Eastern Province women’s team. The tournament is part of the department’s continuous efforts to promote social cohesion and nation building through sport.

Commemoration of the late Nkosi Ncaphayi 🗓

A memorial monument was erected and unveiled in honour of Nkosi Ncaphayi, on the 29th of September 2023 in Gwadana. Ncaphayi was a traditional leader who became known for his immense contribution to the struggle against colonial expansion and land dispossession.
The commemoration marked 145 years since the conflict between amaGcaleka and the British-led army resumed in 1877. Nkosi Ncaphayi was one of formidable Xhosa traditional leaders that featured prominently in the Wars of Resistance, also known as the Eastern Cape Frontier Wars (1779 – 1878). Nkosi Ncaphayi fought in the Ninth Frontier War at the Battle of Gwadana where he was killed in 1878. It is thought he was buried around the area; however, the actual place of his burial remains unknown.
The memorial monument was aimed at keeping the memory of his contribution, and many others who fought against colonial invasion to defend their nation, alive as well as adding to the richness of the history in the Gwadana area.

National Indigenous Games 🗓

Heritage month closed off with the National Indigenous Games simmering to a close in Durban’s Hoy Park, Kwa-Zulu Natal. The Indigenous Games Festival is an annual event hosted by the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture (DSAC) to highlight nine of the most popularly played indigenous games in South Africa. The 17th edition of the games were held from the 24-29 September 2023, in a week-long jostle for the gold.
Top athletes from each of the country’s provinces competed to represent their respective provinces in the various codes, namely: dibeke, kgati, drie stokkies, jukskei, upuca, morabaraba, iintonga, kho-kho and ncuva. Balance, reflexes, hand-eye coordination, accuracy, and patience are some of the vital skills that are strengthened when participating in the indigenous sporting codes. These abilities are often learnt at a young age through indigenous games and are retained through play throughout adulthood.
The Indigenous Games Festival is part of the national department’s effort of promoting social cohesion and nation building through the revival of indigenous games, as well as encouraging an active lifestyle, particularly in youth.
Among the standout performances from the Eastern Cape team, drie stokkies champion, Dellarise ‘Kleintjie’ Christian set a new record of 10,67m, breaking the previous 10,55m record.

Eastern Cape Sport and Recreation Awards 🗓

Eastern Cape Sport and Recreation Awards in recognition of provincial sporting excellence
The Department hosted the much-anticipated Sport and Recreation Achievers Awards in collaboration with the Eastern Cape Sport Confederation, Buffalo City Metro Municipality and strategic partners such as Old Mutual, Joma Sports and Hollywood Bets. The red carpet rolled out on the 22nd of September 2023, at the East London International Conversion Centre.
The awards recognised and celebrated individuals, federations and teams who excelled both on and off the field for the period 1st June 2022 to 30 July 2023.

The Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture received 149 nominations from 31 federations, which included district sport federations, school sport structures and media houses, with most nominees coming from the Nelson Mandela Metro.

“It’s all systems go for the awards, and we are excited to welcome the awardees and host our guests for the evening, which will include Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa and Deputy Minister Nocawe Mafu.”

“Through these awards, we want to encourage community members, especially the young people that when they participate in sporting activities they can be healthy and this could also be a prospective career, similar to the finalists that will be awarded tomorrow,” said MEC Nonceba Kontsiwe, ahead of the awards ceremony.

Provincial Heritage Day 🗓

Provincial Heritage Day Celebrated to Mark 140th Anniversary of Lesseyton Methodist Theological Training Centre
The Eastern Cape Provincial Government led by Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane celebrated the Provincial Heritage Day in Lesseyton Methodist Heritage Site Precinct, Komani on Sunday, 24 September 2023.
This year’s Heritage Day was dedicated to the 140th anniversary of Lesseyton Methodist Theological Training Centre and historically significant events associated with the landmark.

Under the theme “Celebrating Our Cultural Diversity in a Democratic South Africa”, the province showcased the rich cultural heritage sites that, over the years, were used to convene political gatherings, including meetings attended by former struggle stalwarts such as Charlotte Mannya Maxeke.

The training Centre is one of the heritage sites which forms part of the Eastern Cape’s Resistance and Liberation Heritage Route that incorporates other significant sites within the broader Chris Hani Liberation Heritage Route.

Former students such as Reverends Z.R. Mahabane and Dr E.J. Mqoboli were some of the prominent alumni of Lesseyton Methodist Theological Training Centre, who are known for their immense contribution in the struggle towards national liberation. Their endeavours in the fight against oppressive colonial policies impacted positively to the liberation struggle.

The Eastern Cape Provincial Government has plans to restore the site and utilise it for provision of services that would benefit the nearby communities.

DSRAC Gives Back to the Community in the Spirit of Women’s Month 🗓

The country commemorates Women’s Month in August to pay tributed to women who marched to the Union Building on 9 August 1956 to protest the Pass Law to women and this year marks 67 years.
In celebration of this year’s Women’s Month, the department undertook a fun-filled fundraising campaign, inviting DSRAC male staff to drape their heads in colourful doeks on the 16th of August 2023 in a #WearADoek initiative to show their appreciation to all women.
A R50 fine was paid by those who did not follow the day’s dress code. Proceeds from the initiative were used to purchase donations handed over to Amantinde Isibindi Safe Park, a centre dedicated to caring for vulnerable youth in King William’s Town. Thanks to a generous donation by Vodacom, 100 packets of sanitary towels were donated, alongside a variety of bulk fruit and pre-loved clothing collected by the department’s Women’s Forum.
The Forum had previously contributed food parcels to the centre to commemorate this year’s Mandela Day, and Corporate Services General Manager, Ms Ncumisa Fololo, announced that the Women’s Forum is adopting the centre for outreach projects undertaken this year to assist those in need and bring about positive change in the department’s surrounding community.

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