Siphelele Nketo

SHAYAMOYA Area Secondary School’s soccer team has started training for the upcoming Kay Motsepe Schools Championships set to begin next month in Empangeni.

The school, based in Kokstad, recently won at a regional level of the tournament. To gear up for the provincial games, team manager Nkosiphendule Mtalo said the school has trained new players to maintain its winning trajectory. 

“Our ambitions are to participate at a national level of the tournament and become champions,” he said.

In 2023, the school’s soccer team won first place at provincial games and lost at nationals. The following year, they won fourth place at national level and did not qualify for the national games in 2025.

The Kay Motsepe Schools Championships was initiated to bring together school teams from across South Africa to compete in various sports. This forms part of promoting youth development, leadership and community engagement through sport.

All games start at a circuit level, and proceed to district, provincial and national levels.