Aldm Johan Allers, Executive Mayor of the Greater Oudtshoorn
Oudtshoorn, 03 December 2024—The prestigious Mayoral Sports Awards 2024 celebrated the achievements of the local sports community. The event, held on Thursday, 28 November 2024, at the municipality’s banquet hall, recognized exceptional sports achievements and contributions within Greater Oudtshoorn.
Coach Ranger Grebe opened the ceremony with a heartfelt prayer, and Mr. Ian Laubscher, Sports Development Officer, managed the program.
Mr. Lluwellyn Coetzee, Senior Manager of Strategic Services
The evening began with a warm welcome from Mr. Lluwellyn Coetzee, Senior Manager of Strategic Services. The Executive Mayor of Greater Oudtshoorn delivered a speech, expressing deep gratitude to all participants. “It is with great appreciation that the municipality acknowledges the contribution of all participants. You bring economic value to the town, and we can only say thank you,” he stated.
The first segment of the program honored nominees and winners with trophies, medals, and certificates, which were handed over by Alderman Sylvester and Speaker Jansen. Below are the winners by category:
Primary Schools Sports Awards
- Team: Wesbank Tug-of-War Team
- Coach: Ronald Presher – The SWD team, coached by Ronald Presher, dominated the SWD Championship with 18 golds, and excelled at the S.A. National Championships with 8 gold, 8 silver, and 1 bronze, earned the South African Champion of Champs title and achieved 3 golds and 1 silver at the World Championships.
- Sportswoman: Chloe May – Chloe May is the S.A. Champion Large Drill Leader, a provincial Solo Mace, Baton, and Mace Duo winner, and a recipient of SWD, SAMCA, and Protea colors.
- Sportsman: Fourie Delport – Fourie Delport, the top U13 tennis player in Eden Province, achieved remarkable success as the Western Province Super 8 U14 runner-up, Synergy Cup inter-provincial overall winner, and standout at the S.A. Junior Inter-Provincial Tournament, beating top-ranked players, while remaining unbeaten in the Eden Primary Schools League and earning selection to the South African Primary Schools Tennis Team.
High Schools Sports Awards
- Team: Langenhoven Gymnasium u.16 Netball Team – Langenhoven Gymnasium secured 2nd place in the Eden Top Schools Competition.
- Coach: Meghan Presher – Megan Presher, coach of the Oudtshoorn Majorettes, led her team to first place in all categories at the SWD Championship, achieved 5th at Nationals, earned two 2nd places and one 4th at the International Championship, and was awarded Protea colors as the senior SAMCA team coach.
- Sportswoman: Payton Gerber – Payton Gerber represented SWD Majorettes at the national level, received Junior Protea colors, and was a member of the Oudtshoorn Majorettes and Protea team at the World Championships.
- Sportsman: Dwayne Kammies – Dwaine won 1st place in the 100m and 200m at the Western Cape Schools Athletic Championship and placed 4th in the 200m at the S.A. Athletic Championship.
Youth Awards
- Junior Sportswoman: Nadia van Jaarsveld – Nadia van Jaarsveld won 1 gold and 1 bronze at the Eden Trials, 1 gold and 1 silver at the Western Cape Championship, and 2 silver medals at the S.A. Championship.
- Junior Sportsman: Dirk Harold Mostert – Dirk Mostert won 3 gold medals at the Western Cape Kickboxing Championship, was selected for the Western Cape team, won 2 gold medals at the S.A. Kickboxing Championship, and was selected for the Protea National Team.
- Person with Disability: Brendolene Loff – Brendolene Loff, a learner at Eljada – Kairos School, participated in the National SASA Winter Games for the intellectually impaired and was selected for the Western Cape SASA II U.18 netball team.
Senior Sports Awards
- Team: Oudtshoorn Darts Club – Oudtshoorn Darts Club won the Western Cape Championship gold medal (Men), secured 2 golds and were overall winners at the S.A. Championship, earned a gold medal in Men’s Doubles, and won silver in Men’s Singles and as Block Winners at the S.A. Championship.
- Coach: Ranger Grebe – Ranger Grebe, head high-performance coach of Eden Kickboxing, coached 8 Eden, 7 Western Cape, and 6 S.A. champions, leading his teams to 56 medals at the Battle of the Karoo, 52 at the South Cape Challenge, 21 at the Eden Championship, 17 at the Western Cape Inter-Pro Champs, and 15 at the S.A. Championships, with 6 S.A. champions and 1 double S.A. champion.
- Sportswoman: Annerie Dercksen – Annerie Dercksen represented the Protea Women’s Cricket Team in both the 50-over and T20 formats, played in all matches at the ICC T20 World Cup, and helped the team win a silver medal.
- Sportsman: Wian Grebe – Wian Greber achieved remarkable success as the Western Cape Kickboxing Champion, earning 2 gold medals, was selected for the Western Cape Kickboxing Team, won 1 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze medal at the South African Kickboxing Championship, and qualified for Protea Colours.
- Administrator: Sonja Schultz – Sonja Schultz serves as the Secretary of the Eden Cycling Association and Western Cape Cycling, is a member of Cycling South Africa’s Women’s and Roads Commissions, the Western Cape Sports Confederation Gender Commission, and has managed national teams at the Junior World Championship in China, African Track Champs in Egypt, and Western Cape Track Team at S.A. Champs, while obtaining her B-Managers license and serving as LOC member for the S.A. Youth Championship in Oudtshoorn.
Mayor’s Awards
The Mayor’s Awards were handed out to the exceptional contributions and achievements of Van Reede Drum Majorettes, Andre Olivier, Karen Bence, Shaun Boshoff, Hennie Baartman, Dave van der Walt, Corne Bence, and Jason Jafta in our community’s sports.
Mr. Deon Davids, Guest Speaker
The guest speaker of the evening was Coach Deon Davids, the renowned forward coach of the world-champion Springbok rugby team. He shared seven key steps to success: Working Hard, Introspection, A Purpose-Driven Life, Sacrifice, Dream, Faith, and Keep Standing. “The purpose of life is to live a life of purpose,” he emphasized, encouraging attendees to strive for greatness.
The Oudtshoorn Municipality extends its gratitude to all athletes, coaches, and sports organizers for their dedication and inspiration. This event shows the vibrant sports culture in Oudtshoorn and its significant role in creating unity and growth within the community.