Shawela United wins minister Baloyi´s tournament

Shawela United were crowned champions of the tournament of the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Mr Richard Baloyi, in Giyani last Saturday.

The tournament was renamed Khuvanani, which is the minister's other name. The tournament was highly contested by four teams from Vhembe and Mopani district and was played at the JB Chauke sports grounds.

Boosted by home-ground support, Shawela United beat Njhomela FC 4-3 to lift the cup for the third time in a row. Community members of Shawela village, who had come in numbers to support their beloved team, celebrated the achievement.

Shawela United are currently leading the log in the Castle league, while Njhomana are in second position. This fact raised the stakes even higher for Shawela United to win the tournament to prove their supremacy. The team received R6 000 and a trophy, while Njhomana received R4 000.

The other two teams that played in the semi-finals were Mhinga Viking, who finished in third position and walked away with R3 000. They were followed by Lombard Happy Boys, who received R2 000.

The tournament is played in the village annually and is sponsored by Minister Baloyi, with an aim to plough back into the community he grew up in. Normally, the tournament is played in December, but because of other commitments the minister had last year, it was moved to February.

Sport - Date: 24 February 2012

Peter Muthambi

Peter Muthambi graduated from the University of Venda with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Studies. He started writing stories for Limpopo Mirror as well as national papers in 2006. He loves investigative journalism and is also a very keen photographer.

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