Caster Semenya seals deal with TUT

Archives Latest news Varsity Sports May 4, 2018 News desk

One of South Africa’s most revered athletes, Mokgadi Caster Semenya, has signed an agreement with the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) to become the...

TUT yesterday officially welcomed its Commonwealth stars back on home soil. From left are : Dumisani Chauke; Stephen Mokoka; Shadrack Nthangeni, Director of Sport and Recreation; Prof Lourens Van Staden, Vice-Chancellor and Principal; Caster Semenya, Dr Ezekiel Morak, DVC Student Life and extracurricular Affairs; Erikah Seyama, Dr Elizma Wannenburg, Calvin Ndlhovu and Milton Kekana.

One of South Africa’s most revered athletes, Mokgadi Caster Semenya, has signed an agreement with the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) to become the University’s number one sporting ambassador.

According to the year-long agreement, that will be up for review annually, Semenya will run in TUT colours at local events. Starting the coming weekend, she will participate for TUT during the University Sports South Africa National Institutional Track and Field event hosted at the Vaal University of Technology from 27 to 29 April 2018.04.24.

The announcement of the agreement between TUT and Semenya was made at an official welcome back event for a group of five TUT affiliated athletes who participated in the recent Commonwealth Games.

Speaking at the event, Semenya said she wanted to make a change in the lives of young people, especially those in rural areas in the country. Sharing her own experiences as a child from a rural area and the challenges she had to overcome, she said this change in her life is all about improving sport at TUT and highlighting the opportunities the University offers to the South African youth.

“I want to show children that anything is possible through hard work and effort,” she said.

She added that although she has studied at two other big universities in the country, she was inspired by TUT’s approach as a people’s university.

At the beginning of 2018 Semenya and Dumisani Chauke, Netball SA’s thriving coach and TUT’s Sport Organiser both enrolled for a B Tech in Sport Management at TUT.

Background

During an official welcome back event, TUT recognised two of its students, one club member and one staff member who were part of team SA at the recent Commonwealth Games and added to the medal tally. Two international students also made their presence felt at the event.

Stephen Mokoka, Olympian and South Africa’s 10 000m sensation; Dumisani Chauke, TUT’s Sport Organiser & Netball SA’s thriving coach; TUT athletics club member Henricho Bruintjies and Caster Semenya, the country’s leading female athlete who is currently enrolled for a B Tech: Sport Management, represented South Africa. Semenya clinched gold medals in the women’s 800 m and 1500 m events, among others breaking Zola Budd’s 1 500m national record. Henricho went on to also earn silver medals in the men’s 100m final and the 4×100 m relay race.

International student, Erikah Seyama, who studies Sport Management and hails from Swaziland, participated in the high jump event. Calvin Ndlovu, a Master’s Student in Organisational Leadership from Zambia, strutted his stuff on the squash court.

Team SA bagged 37 medals and ended 6th overall in the medals ranking. The medals were as follows: 13 Gold, 11 Silver, and 13 Bronze.

Source Tshwane University of Technology