Student-athletes who competed, represented and won medals for Team South Africa in highly recognised international sports events earned the best University of Johannesburg (UJ) Sport Awards on Thursday, 17 November 2022.
The University held the annual UJ Sport Awards on Thursday evening at the Randpark Golf Club in Johannesburg, with wheelchair basketball player, Michelle Moganedi Selala, and middle distance runner, Mofori Ryan Mphahlele, winning the Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year Awards, respectively.
In January this year, Moganedi was selected to represent South Africa at the IWBF Afro World Championships held in Ethiopia. In April, she was selected as part of the IWBF Players Commission to speak on Africa Wheelchair Basketball players and the development of the sport in Switzerland. In August, Moganedi captained the SA 3 on 3 Wheelchair Basketball team at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, finishing in 5th place.
On the other hand, Mphahlele enjoyed success in middle distance running this season having won a gold medal with the time of 3:49.51 for the 1500-meter distance for UJ in the 2022 University Sport South Africa championships in Cape Town. He won a silver medal for South Africa in the CAA Senior African Athletics Championships in Mauritius with a time of 3:36.74 in the 1500-meter running distance.
Some of the dignitaries who attended the Sports Gala included the outgoing Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala and Vice-Chancellor Designate, Professor Letlhokwa George Mpedi as well as member of the UJ Management Executive Committee, Dr Nolitha Vukuza.
Former Olympian and Chairperson of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) Athletics Commission, Khotso Mokwena, spoke about the importance of “a winning mind-set” for athletes.
“I am excited, although I have done well in my sport field, this win came as a surprise. I did not anticipate winning the award so soon. It is an amazing feeling. I’m more fired up to do even greater,” says Moganedi.
Mphahlele was also excitedly in awe of winning the top sport accolade at UJ. “I did not see it coming, but God did. As I sat there, I listened on while the bronze and silver medal winners were announced – I told the person next to me that someone else is going to win the Sportsman of the Year Award, not me. I had tough competition. Congratulations to all the nominees and the winners. That winning moment has not sunk in yet,” says Mphahlele.
Caitlin Rooskrantz was crowned the Age group Sportswoman of the Year and the Student-Athlete of the Year Awards.
Athlete Lythe Pillay won the Age Group Sportsman of the Year with fellow Athletics Club member, Cheswill Johnson, winning the Club Sportsperson of the Year.
This year, Team of the Year was added as a new category to the six long-existing categories of the UJ Sport Awards. Five teams were nominated, namely; Athletics Cross-Country, Netball, Women’s Rugby 7s, Women’s Football and the Men’s Basketball teams. The senior women’s football team was named the 2022 Team of the Year for winning the 2022 FNB Varsity Football women’s tournament, the Engen Knockout Challenge and the Engen Champ of Champs. The team also had players and technical staff members who were selected to represent national teams like Banyana Banyana and the Under-17 and 19 teams.
UJ Sport club managers and team coaches were also honoured for their participation in various tournaments where they represented UJ, the Gauteng Province and South Africa locally and abroad. They included Lucky Shiburi, Nthabeleng Modiko, Siyabonga Sibiya, Patience Ntshingila, Roger Haitengi, Michael Seme, Liphiwe Nxasana, Thabang Temo, Tsoanelo Pholo, Nomsa Zungu and Bongiwe Msomi.
Their Individual Commendations:
- Lucky Shiburi: UJ women’s football goalkeeper coach selection as the SA women’s National team goalkeeper coach.
- Coach Nthabeleng Modiko: UJ women’s football coach selection as the Under-17 national women’s coach.
- Siyabonga Sibiya: UJ men’s cricket head coach selection as the SA men’s emerging assistant coach and batting coach.
- Patience Ntshingila: UJ athletics coach and triple jumper selection as team manager for the University Sports South Africa (USSA) team that participated in the CUCSA games in Lilongwe, Malawi.
- Roger Haitengi: UJ Athletics Club Manager selection for Namibian team that competed in the 2022 CAA Senior African Athletics Championships in Mauritius
- Michael Seme: Selected as the long distance running coach for team South Africa in the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon in the USA.
- Thabang Temo: UJ Physiotherapist represented South Africa in the CAF men’s championship league and the SASCOC region 5 games.
- Liphiwe Nxasana: UJ Sport Scientist appointed as the Under-20 national women’s rugby strength and conditioning coach
- Tsoanelo Pholo: UJ women’s hockey coach appointment as the SA women’s hockey five-a-side coach
- Nomsa Zungu: UJ women’s netball assistant coach appointment as the assistant coach for the Golden Fireballs and statistician for the CUCSA Games.
- Bongiwe Msomi: UJ women’s netball head coach selection as the Gauteng Golden Fireball captain in the Telkom Netball League as well as her selection as the captain of the national women’s netball team
Age group sportswoman of the year:
-1st place: Caitlin Rooskrantz (Gymnastics)
-2nd place: Tarle Mathe (Netball)
-3rd place: Sphumelele Shamase (Football)
Age group sportsman of the year:
-1st place: Lythe Pillay (Athletics)
-2nd place: Ronan Herman (Cricket)
-3rd place: Thulani Zandamela (Football)
Club sportsperson of the year:
-1st place: Cheswill Johnson (Athletics)
-2nd place: Liam Alder (Cricket)
-3rd place: Mpho Links (Athletics)
Team of the year:
-Womens football team
Student-Athlete of the Year:
-1st place: Caitlin Rooskrantz (Gymnastics)
– 2nd place: Kristen Paton (Hockey)
-3rd place: Masingita Simango (Women’s Rugby)
Sportswoman of the year:
-1st place: Michelle Moganedi (UJ SSD)
-2nd place: Yane van der Merwe (UJ SSD)
-3rd place: Nomfundo Mngomezulu (Netball)
Sportsman of the year:
-1st place: Ryan Mphahlele (Athletics)
-2nd place: Werner Visser (Athletics)
-3rd place: Andrew Peter Simunye (Rugby)
