STATEMENT BY THE RT HON PRIME MINISTER
DR B. SIBUSISO DLAMINI
AT THE HANDOVER OF AFRICAN UNION SPORTS COUNCIL REGION 5 MEDAL OF HONOUR TO MTN SWAZILAND
MTN HEADQUARTERS-EZULWINI
Wednesday 18 January 2017
CEO and Executive members of MTN Swaziland
Chairperson of the Board of the Swaziland National Sports &
Recreation Council
President of the Swaziland Olympic & Commonwealth Games
Association
Board members of the Swaziland National Sports & Recreation
Council
President of the Football Association
CEO and Executive members of the Swaziland National Sports &
Recreation Council
Representatives of the Media
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is my honour, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government, to welcome you all here today.
Of all the activities that play an important part in life in most, if not all, the countries of the world, sport has to stand out as one of the most absorbing and entertaining. As individuals we play sports from when we are very young and thoroughly enjoy them. Active sports promote good health, and among those, team sports can stimulate the development of mental skills that are also be beneficial in later life. Non-active sports like chess create their own excitement and similarly promote development of cerebral skills that are an advantage throughout life. In short, sport is good.
In many countries, whether as participant or spectator, the commitment to sport is one of great passion for a large proportion of the population. And while the need to win is not vital in every sport, competition is a vital element in most sports. The competitive spirit is innate in man. There is no ignoring or rejecting it. Can you imagine a game of soccer without goal posts? (pause) Competition produces excitement, and ratchets up the level of excellence. As long as there is fairness and moderation, the competitive element in sport should be perfectly acceptable.
Putting all this in a Swazi perspective what do we have? Well, we have a great passion for sport and, in the various sports, whether as players or spectators, a strong will to win. But sports facilities require resources and, in past years, it has fallen on the public sector to find those resources. The outcome has been limited access to sport, especially for our youth. There was also an absence of any substantial financial incentive for players to take up a professional sporting career. Ultimately that impacts on performance in the international arena. And whether we are supporting Sihlangu, our national soccer team, or our representatives in other sports, we want to win!
To meet those three needs – more sports activities for the youth, better financial rewards for our club players and finally the hunger for international sporting glory - we have looked to the private sector to assist us. One of the main sponsors, that have come generously to our assistance, is MTN Swaziland. Today, it is MTN Swaziland’s place for special recognition as we proudly hand over the Medal of Honour from the African Union Sports Council Region Five.
That Council has a reward programme whose key objective is to recognize meritorious service in sport, outstanding achievements in sport and meaningful contribution to sport initiatives. The Medal of Honour for 2016, under the institutions or organizations category, was awarded to MTN Swaziland in recognition of its meaningful contribution to the development of sport in Swaziland. This medal was bestowed on MTN Swaziland at the recent African Union Sports Council Region 5 Youth Games held in Luanda, Angola.
MTN Swaziland’s contribution to sport has received the recognition it deserves. Its sports sponsorship has spanned over 13 years and three sporting codes, namely soccer, cycling and golf. Its commitment to sports for the current sponsorship season stands at the level of 3.4 million Emalangeni.
Soccer, as the main sporting activity in the Kingdom, has enjoyed MTN Swaziland’s support since 2003, with the Premier League of Swaziland (PLS) being the main beneficiaries. In recent years that sponsorship has been extended to the subsidiary First Division League. MTN Swaziland also sponsors the annual Khemani cycling race which attracts international participants and is thus a good platform for excellence development and international exposure. A valuable spin-off from the Khemani race is that the proceeds are donated to the Mankayane Hospital and surrounding care points. MTN Swaziland also provides sponsorship to the Swaziland Golf Union, in the form of support for the MTN monthly Golf Masters tournament, which has been transformed to motivate and cater for women and junior participation in golf.
We must acknowledge that many private sector enterprises in our country already display their corporate social responsibility in spheres other than sport, and we respect, and are grateful for, those generous donations. Nevertheless, as we start the year 2017, it is a suitable moment for our private sector to consider whether they can spare an additional contribution for sport, especially at grass roots level. That is where the sporting stars of the future are waiting – in the communities, eager for a chance to develop. It might be for a playing area, some equipment and a local league. Or even starting futsal leagues (the Spanish version of five a side football) across the country. I mention futsal because it is a low cost medium and the great stars like Pele, Messi and Ronaldo are unanimous in attributing their remarkable close-quarter skills to almost exclusive participation in futsal in their youth. That is a real opportunity for Swazi football success in the coming years!
It is my privilege to congratulate MTN Swaziland for being awarded the Medal of Honour. Our warmest congratulations also go to the President of the Swaziland Olympic Committee for the past 16 years, Mr Zombodze Magagula, who at the same Youth Games in Angola, was awarded a medal of honour under the outstanding sports leadership category. And, finally, we congratulate the Chairman of our Sports and Recreation Council, Mr Lawrence Mthethwa, for his recent appointment as Chairperson of the Finance Committee of the African Union Sports Council Region Five.
On this note of celebration and appreciation for these individual and corporate achievements by Swazis, I conclude and thank you for inviting me today.