MBABANE WEST HOSTS POOL TOURNAMENT TO PROMOTE DIVERSE SPORTING TALENT

BY TENGETILE MWALI (intern)

MBABANE – The Mbabane West Inkhundla hosted a pool tournament aimed at promoting sporting talent beyond football, with organisers emphasising the importance of recognising and supporting players from different sporting disciplines.

The tournament, hosted by Mbabane West Indvuna Phinda Maziya in collaboration with councillor Sabelo Maphevu, began on Friday, 6 March. The event brought together pool players from several wards within the Mbabane West area to compete in a friendly but competitive environment.

Maziya explained that the main objective of the tournament was to broaden sporting opportunities within the community. He noted that football has traditionally received the most attention, while other sports have often been overlooked.

“The purpose of the tournament was to sponsor a different sport than soccer because over the years we have focused more on soccer and neglected talents from other sporting codes,” said Maziya.

He revealed that a total of E8 245 was sponsored for the tournament to support prizes and organisation of the event. Players from various wards within the Mbabane West constituency were expected to take part, ranging from Bahai to Zone 5. However, Bahai did not participate in the competition.

Apart from ward teams, the tournament also welcomed individual participants who entered independently. These players paid an entry fee of E30 each to take part in the competition.

According to Maziya, the tournament progressed through several stages, allowing many players to showcase their skills. Each team consisted of between eight and eleven participants, and almost every participant received some form of reward for their involvement.

The overall winner, Khayalakhe Dlamini, walked away with E900, a medal, a trophy and a pool cue stick. The winner came from Zone 5, highlighting the strong pool talent within the ward.

Maziya further stated that the initiative aims to motivate young people to take pride in their talents and develop them further.

“Rewarding participants encourages them to compete and strive to win. Some use the money to buy toiletries and other necessities, especially considering that job opportunities are limited,” he said.

He added that the pool tournament will continue to be hosted three times a year, becoming a regular sporting activity in the area. Organisers are also planning to expand support to other sporting activities such as darts, cards and volleyball, giving more community members the opportunity to showcase their abilities.