Cricket South Africa (CSA) board member Muditambi Ravele says underdeveloped sporting facilities in rural areas hinder CSA from assisting rural communities with sports development interventions.
She says sports fields in most rural areas are not conducive enough for some of their local cricket development interventions.
Ravele was speaking to the SABC at the Buffalo Park Cricket Stadium during the second game of the Under-19 Cricket World Cup. She says bringing development to rural communities would assist in building sports activities among the youth.
Alcohol, drug abuse and delinquency are common among the youth in many parts of the country. Authorities believe this is often fueled by the lack of extramural activities in schools and the diminishing sports activism in local communities. And Cricket SA says underdeveloped sports facilities are making matters worse.
The Department of Sports and Recreation in the Eastern Cape says sports development among the youth requires a multi-departmental approach.
“We have discussions with MEC of the Department of Education that we need to bring back sports to schools. Bringing them back means we must formalize it because for now, it’s only those schools that feel like they can do it, but if we formalize it and make it structural so then all schools will know that sport is played in schools,” says Nonceba Kontsiwe, EC Sports MEC.
Eastern Cape Sports Academies believe hosting international tournaments in the province is the first step towards transforming the current status quo.
The Sports Department in the province says the lack of leadership in Eastern Cape sporting academies is delaying progress in local sports development for the youth. si
