MBOMBELA –Young chess player, Banele Mhango (16) is the toast of the Mpumalanga sporting world after he walked away with top honours – Sports Star of the Year - at the local sports awards.
The Mpumalanga Sports Awards were held recently at Emnotweni Arena in Mbombela and attracted all the big names in the sporting world. Among the dignitaries who attended the awards, was the President of South African Football Association, Danny Jordaan, legends from Witbank Black Aces, Orlando Pirates Captain, Happy Jele and Mpumalanga Sports Confederation President, Linda Zwane among others. The Awards were broadcast on Supersport Channel and people across the country were able to see what Mpumalanga offers in terms of sport.
Mhango, who hails from Pienaar in the Ehlanzeni District, is regarded as the best thing to have happened to chess in a long time and the coveted award confirms that the Lihawu High School pupil is indeed the real deal. The Master, as he is affectionately known in the sport, beat a strong field to win the top award. In a short period of time, he has secured his place as the hottest young talent in the province. A status he achieved after being crowned national u/16 champion and joint African Youth Champion.
He also won a gold medal at the South African Open Rapid Chess Tournament and a bronze medal at the South AfricanOpen Classic Championship.
The Mpumalanga Sport Awards is a platform used by the Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation to honour, celebrate and reward sport excellence in the province. Speaking at the event, MEC Lindiwe Ntshalintshali said, "We want to express the high regard that we hold for our
sporting stars who have flown the Mpumalanga flag sky high by recording noticeable achievements that made us proud as a province as we are slowly but surely living to our mandate of creating champions in the province of the rising sun.
Sport remains an important and essential factor in our efforts of fostering social cohesion and nation building in the province. We remain committed to use sport to heal the wounds and divisions of the past so that we can together build a democratic, non racist and progressive country where
citizens will be patriotic and biased towards the developmental agenda of government