Meshack Khotha

Meshack Khotha

South African businessman and former rugby player Butityi Konki is keen to take rugby development in Eastern Cape to a new high by continuing to fund the sport at grassroots level.

This time around the benevo- lent Konki is funding the inaugural Four Nations Rugby Cup that will be contested by four high schools at Uitenhage on April 28.

Three local black rugby clubs - Gardens, Progress and Swallows - and white team Dispatch Oosterlike will battle it out for honours in the one-day tournament.

The first game, which is scheduled for 9.30am, will see Swallows entertaining Progress, while Gardens engage Dispatch in the second game at 11.30am.

The final will be played at 3pm.

Solomon Mahlangu and Limekhaya high schools will play in the curtain raiser for the the finals at 1pm.

The winning team will pocket R5 000, gold medals and a trophy, while the runners-up get R2 000, silver medals and a trophy . The team finishing third will get R1000 and bronze medals.

Zolani Tshanga, Swallows' president, yesterday hailed Konki for his continued support of rugby at grassroots level in the province.

"The development of rugby in our area will be a success story because we have people of Konki's stature in our midst," Tshanga said. "We are very blessed to have him in our province."

Last month Konki forked out R300000 when he launched the Butityi Konki Schools Rugby Tournament. He has also been backing Swallows.