Motsepe Foundation pumps more millions into school football

After the Motsepe Foundation increased its donation to the basic education department and growth of school sport to R150m, chair Patrice Motsepe said if the focus was right and resources were allocated South African football could improve.

When the partnership started in 2016, the foundation donated R70m over seven years and they increased it to R150m yesterday.

Motsepe, who is also president of the Confederation of African Football, said the foundation was committed to investing in the education, development and growth of youth in football, music, netball and other sports.

“Imagine if Bafana Bafana were in the semifinal of the World Cup? But this thing takes time,” Motsepe told the media after the conference in Sandton yesterday.

“Everything I do takes time and sometimes things I do there are challenges and problems.

“Sometimes it goes up and down. So what I would like to see is as long as you are doing the right thing over time results will come.

“Don’t get discouraged because you initiated the process and you cannot see the success you started.

“Schools football, if we focus on that and allocate the resources, the structures and the facilities that we should, South African football will be amongst the best, not just in Africa, but in the world.

“As I said, look at rugby, we have invested there, we are joint controlling shareholders and we asked why they won the World Cup three times against some of the best nations in the world.

“Part of it is school rugby and we have to do the same and if we do that I can tell you we will be proud.”

The Kay Motsepe Schools Cup will continue to focus on High School Boys’ football, with almost thousands of schools competing to be among the final 18 that end up at the national play-off style finals and be crowned the best footballing school in the country.

There will now be a Primary Schools National football competition for Boys, a High School National football competition for Girls, and a Primary Schools National football competition for Girls, covering both boys and girls in High School and Primary School.

“I have no doubt that I have been immensely blessed, helped and assisted and that’s what my father [taught me],” he said.

“The issue is not Patrice Motsepe contributing R150m, what is more significant is the many poor people and usually it is our grandmothers and fathers who are making donations to other families.

“That assistance they provide has a huge impact on how they leave. We donate R150m over the next five years which is our duty.”