Mitchell’s Plain speedsters set to shine at Metro South championships

In athletics, there’s a saying: you’re only as good as your last race. Every time athletes step onto the track, it’s a fresh test — and that’s exactly the kind of pressure star sprinters Nuhaa Van Niekerk, 12, a Grade 7 pupil at Parkhurst Primary, and Ridgeville’s Zozibini Mpako, 11, in Grade 6, will carry with them when they line up for their respective races at Saturday’s Metro South Primary Schools athletics championships at Blue Downs Stadium.

Although considered among the favourites based on recent performance, the two will have their work cut out, knowing hype means nothing if they don’t cross the finish line first. They follow in the footsteps of several athletes from the area who have gone on to make their mark at national level in recent years, including Parkhurst alumni Lamicah Adamson, former Montague and Mondale High hurdler Naeem Jack, and Eastridge’s Tamzin Thomas, a former pupil at Imperial Primary.

For Nuhaa, who has been offered a spot at Paarl Gimnasium next year, a good start is as important as a great finish. “I just want to be first out of the blocks because my family takes days off from work just to come and watch me,” she said.

While happy to have the opportunity to attend a prestigious school, the youngster has mixed feelings about the next chapter, choosing to complete her primary schooling at Parkhurst instead of joining Gimnasium this year.

“I am excited and nervous at the same time, happy and sad, but looking forward to building a new journey at Paarl Gim,” she said.

With the primary school athletics season in full swing across the city, things are set to move up a notch with Saturday’s championships at the newly refurbished Blue Downs Stadium. Behind the scenes, teachers, coaches, and volunteers have been working hard to make sure young athletes get their chance to shine.

Metro South Primary Schools athletics convenor Paul Naidoo said Metro South incorporates schools in Mitchell’s Plain, Guynyacroft, Wynberg, and the False Bay areas.

“Each area is divided into groups — Mitchell's Plain has six groups of eight schools each, making it the biggest in the Metro South schools district,” he said. “Guynyacroft has two groups with a total of 24 schools; Wynberg has three clusters with 30 schools; and False Bay has 24 schools.”

Each cluster hosted its own interschools athletics meeting over the past few weeks since schools reopened in January, with the top two athletes at the various cluster meets booking their spots at Saturday’s championships.

In total, he said, about 116 schools take part in athletics across Metro South every year, showing just how strong participation is at primary school level.

But while the talent is there, running these events comes with real challenges. Naidoo says one of the biggest problems is the lack of proper facilities in the area — a longstanding gripe echoed by many involved with school athletics in Mitchell’s Plain over the years. He said athletes often have to travel further than competitors from other districts just to compete or train.

“Coaching is another hurdle. Many schools do not have qualified athletics coaches, and some don’t even have suitable grounds for training,” said Naidoo. “Because of this, some schools cannot enter athletes in all events simply because there is nowhere safe or suitable to practice.”

While creating opportunities for young athletes to shine remains their number one priority, hosting competitions also comes at a cost, he said.

Although the City recently upgraded the Blue Downs facility, incomplete work meant organisers had to spend extra on security due to open sections around the stadium, with clusters responsible for paying for services such as medics, security, cleaning staff, tents, and sound equipment. “For some schools, these costs are difficult to manage,” Naidoo said.

The question of costs is closely related to the issue of funding — or a lack thereof — with schools having to fund their own athletics programmes, with little or no outside sponsorship or government support.

“I believe there should be more investment in school grounds, proper equipment, and specialised coaching. It could make a huge difference,” he said. “Get the government to invest in school ground projects to make them conducive to athletic training, and provide schools with the necessary equipment.”

While these and other challenges are likely to remain in place for the foreseeable future, he said it’s good to see athletes like Nuhaa, Zozibini, and others achieve success despite their circumstances.

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