Women Shine at 2021 National Indigenous Games Festival

KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) were crowned National Champions of the 2021 National Indigenous Games Festival for the 10th time in a row as the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) celebrated another year of excellence among the nine provinces.

Team KZN’s Samkelisiwe Nqcongo claimed the top spot in the Diketo games with 387 points. Elsewhere Thobile Nkabinde came second in Ncuva.

Western Cape finished in second place with the likes of  Sijiwe Yelaphi taking first place in the Senior Iintonga. Zinhle Veli took silver in the Diketo.

Head of Communications at DSAC, Mickey Modisane, says that the Indigenous Games Festival promotes transformation in sport and gives more young sportswomen the chance to shine.

The 2021 National Indigenous Games Festival, which is usually hosted in Limpopo, was held in Durban for the first time, opening up an opportunity for girls and young women across the country to compete in games like Diketo, Ncuva, Kho-kho,and Drie Stokkies.

“There’s more participation from girls compared to the boys, like for instance in Intonga, you find that girls are leading in that regard,” said Modisane.

“It focuses more on the girl child, in terms of the development of the girl child and making sure that the girl child becomes more competitive.

“Part of the government’s priority is to ensure that a girl child is as competitive as much as the boy child and giving a girl child more support, and these games play that role in bridging the gap nicely.

“With the games, over and above the team that wins, it also wins them the opportunity to go play in the World Sport for all games that are run by TAFISA (The Association for International Sport for All).

Indigenous Games Final Results:

Overall Winners:

1. KwaZulu-Natal
2. Western Cape
3. Gauteng

Drie Stokkies

1. Katlego Satekge – Gauteng
2. Faith Moyo – Limpopo
3. Lubabalwa Lubha – KwaZulu-Natal

Junior Iitonga:

1. Nqabisa Njilili – Northern Cape
2. Mamelo Deeuw – North West
3. Nokwanda Shange – KwaZulu-Natal

Senior Iintonga:

1. Sijiwe Yelaphi – Western Cape
2. Dineo Monyepa – Limpopo
3. Simphiwe Khumalo -Gauteng

Kho-kho:

1. KwaZulu-Natal
2. North West
3. Western Cape
4. Free State
5. Limpopo
6. Mpumalanga
7. Gauteng
8. Eastern Cape
9. Northern Cape

Diketo: 

1. Samkelisiwe Nqcongo – KwaZulu-Natal
2. Zintle Veli – Western Cape
3. Busisiwe Molefe – KwaZulu-Natal
4. Mpeletso Tabata Eastern Cape
5. Abigail de Boer – Western Cape
6. Machete Vera – Limpopo
7. Delina Selepe – Limpopo
8. Letsie Mampitseng – Free State
9. Thembi Ndlela – Mpumalanga

Ncuva: 

1. Ruth Mabunda – Limpopo
2. Thobile Nkabinde – KwaZulu-Natal
3. Gadifele Serame – North West

Photo 1 Caption: Winning performances as young women in sport headline 2021 National Indigenous Games Festival in Durban, where KwaZulu-Natal have been crowned National Champions for the 10th time. Photo: Supplied