By Ntokozo Magongo
MBABANE – The inaugural Tinkhundla National Talent Search Competition has already made a significant impact on local sports.
Two athletes, Simphiwe Malambe and Siyanda Ndwandwe were unearthed during the athletics competition, have represented the country in international competitions, specifically the CAA Regional Relay Competitions held in Botswana last month, where they were integral members of the team that secured medals for the nation.
On Monday, they were part of the team that received incentives from the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs. The athletics teams returned home with five medals, earning E50 000 from the total E190 000 awarded to athletes who excelled in regional competitions including netball, swimming and a boxer.
The duo, Simphiwe Malambe and Siyanda Ndwandwe, initially triumphed at the regional level of the talent search competitions and went on to dominate the national competitions, which were held outside the Mavuso Sports Centre, competing in a cross country.
The Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs, Bongani Nzima, launched this ground-breaking Tinkhundla National Talent Search Competition, which is wholly funded by the Government to the tune of E2 million. The competition aims to unearth sporting and artistic talent among the youth of Eswatini, providing platforms for the nation’s young individuals to cultivate their skills in sports and the arts from all the four regions of the country.
In the realm of sports, the competition encompasses football and athletics, while in the arts, it features five categories: dance, drama, choral, poetry, and comedy. Additionally, in the cultural segment, there are four categories: lutsango, sibhaca, ingadla, and emajaha.
The President of Eswatini Athletics (AE), Zakhele Dlamini, expressed his satisfaction with the immediate positive impact of the competitions. He noted that lessons learned from this first edition will be invaluable in improving future iterations, with the aim of recruiting even more athletes.
