{"id":15810,"date":"2025-11-21T12:54:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T10:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jhb-webdevelopers\/channelafrica\/news\/diski99-championship-brings-free-state-communities-together-as-youth-talent-takes-centre-stage\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T16:27:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T14:27:57","slug":"diski99-championship-brings-free-state-communities-together-as-youth-talent-takes-centre-stage","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/news\/diski99-championship-brings-free-state-communities-together-as-youth-talent-takes-centre-stage\/","title":{"rendered":"Diski99 Championship brings Free State communities together as youth talent takes centre stage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Preparations are intensifying as Thabong gears up to host the Diski99 Championship at Zuka Baloyi Stadium on November 29. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Sixteen schools, from primary to secondary <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">level<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, will compete for top honours as the event returns after <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">its absence in 2024<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This year\u2019s championship comes as the Free State Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) finalises a strengthened partnership with Net Nine Nine (Net99) for the third edition of the Diski99 Tournament. The collaboration reinforces a shared commitment to expanding grassroots football, driving youth development, and building sustainable sporting pathways across the province.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The renewed partnership follows a strategic meeting between the Member of the Executive Council for DSAC, Ntombizanele Sifuba, senior departmental directors Vincent Khetha and Kutlwano Tlhakudi, and Net Nine Nine\u2019s Group Chief-of-Staff. The engagement set the tone for a broader, more impactful tournament designed to reach more communities and amplify opportunities for young athletes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Building on the success of the inaugural tournament, this edition introduces enhanced development components focusing not only on football and netball excellence but also on leadership, discipline, mentorship, and life skills.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The championship at Zuka Baloyi Stadium offers a crucial preview of what lies ahead, a showcase of talent, community pride, and ambition for youngsters eager to impress the talent scouts who will be in attendance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Sifuba reaffirmed DSAC\u2019s commitment to stakeholder partnerships that strengthen grassroots participation. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A recent meeting with <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Head<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> of Department <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Molato<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> Tshabalala <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">further<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> reinforced the department\u2019s vision to revive school sport.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cWe welcome this continued collaboration with Net Nine Nine. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Through the Diski99 platform, we <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">are able to<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> provide young people with meaningful opportunities to showcase their abilities while promoting values of teamwork, excellence, and resilience.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> The Diski99 tournament advances our vision of a vibrant, inclusive sporting culture in the Free State,\u201d said Tshabalala, who will be attending.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Net Nine Nine\u2019s Chief of Staff, Thipe, highlighted the company\u2019s long-term dedication to community upliftment across all eight provinces.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cNet Nine Nine remains committed to investing in programmes that make a tangible difference in the lives of young South Africans. This is dear to my heart, it\u2019s very personal, and I want to see emerging talent nurtured,\u201d said Thipe.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe Diski99 Championship is an important milestone, and together with the Free State DSAC, we are positioned to elevate youth development through sport.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The partnership discussions followed shortly after the Free State successfully hosted the OR Tambo Memorial Lecture, held a fortnight ago as part of OR Tambo Month commemorations. Led by Sifuba, the lecture underscored themes of unity, service, and leadership, values closely aligned with the Diski99 initiative.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As anticipation builds for November 29, the Diski99 Championship promises to unite communities, inspire young talent, and reaffirm the power of sport as a catalyst for social change.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Soccer fixtures<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Teto High v Thotagauta Secondary<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Lebogang Secondary v Welkom High School<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Leseding Secondary v Letsete High School<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Nanabolela High School v Lephola High School<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Netball fixtures<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Majaho Primary School v Aurora Primary School<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Thabong Primary School v Naudeville Primary School<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Tswelopele Primary School v Seabo Primary School<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Mantshebo Primary School v Hlolohelo Primary School<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&#8211;ChannelAfrica&#8211;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":15811,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[20],"class_list":["post-15810","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-sport","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The who\u2019s who of South Africa\u2019s Free State provincial government, along with Gauteng sport enthusiasts, will converge in Thabong, Welkom, to witness raw emerging talent being nurtured to advance sport in the \u201ctown of happiness\u201d.","published_date":null,"news_description":"The who\u2019s who of South Africa\u2019s Free State provincial government, along with Gauteng sport enthusiasts, will converge in Thabong, Welkom, to witness raw emerging talent being nurtured to advance sport in the \u201ctown of happiness\u201d.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/15810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/15810\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19890,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/15810\/revisions\/19890"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=15810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}