R1.4m multipurpose sports field donation to Cape Town school to keep children away from crime

Christmas has come early for primary school pupils in one of Cape Town’s impoverished communities.

Westlake Primary School, near Tokai, has been gifted a R1.4m multipurpose sports field. The Constantia Rotary Club handed over the field on Friday. Nkululeko Badini, the chair of the school governing body, waxed lyrical about the gift. He said the sports field will keep children in the community off the streets.

The township comprises 700 homes meant for 5,000 people. But Badini said there were 17,000 people living in Westlake. He said the school has children and teachers from various parts of the African continent.

“Today we are proud and happy to be given this sports field by Constantia Rotary Club. It is an honour and we are grateful for the work that they have done,” he said.

“We want our children to play sports from the foundation phase upwards. Our community is overpopulated. People come from different provinces and other parts of Africa. We live in harmony. We have children whose parents come from Malawi, Congo, Zimbabwe and other countries. Our school has managed to accommodate all of them.”

He said the community has no sports facilities.

“We only have one community hall which is used by churches and NGOs. Our kids end up playing on the streets. On weekends you find children and parents sitting at the park which is supposed to be used by kids.”

Rotary Club district governor Ian Robertson said the project took two-and-half-years to complete.

“It’s the Rotary Club of Constantia that took responsibility for this project. And it’s my pleasure, representing Rotary International, to thank and honour them for this achievement and to recognise how they have been engaging the community to bring many stakeholders together to make this a success,” said Robertson.

“My understanding is that they spent R1.4m developing this facility. For me what makes it unique is that it was born out of collaboration. We know that if we don’t engage the community with a gift this large it doesn’t get looked after or used the way it is intended. By having a consultation process from the beginning we are sure that this is a facility that will be well enjoyed by the students and the teachers alike.”

The school opened its doors for learning in 2011. The field is the brainchild of the school's founding principal Landie Diamond, now the director of the Western Cape education department’s metro east district. Diamond said the school's vision is to “develop the kids holistically”.

“The field you see here today goes beyond fulfilling the learners’ sporting needs. It is meant to change this community, which is bedevilled by poverty and unemployment,” said Diamond.

“This field is designed to change every learner’s life. It is meant to fight crime and other social ills. It is not designed to only enhance the children’s physique but to train their young minds and build their confidence. Most importantly, it is built to be a bridge between this community and the rest of the world. Overall, it majestically stands here, as a beacon of hope and resilience.”

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