HOW THE CHARITY CUP HAS CHANGED

Sir,

I have to state from the onset that I was part of the throngs of football followers who filled the Somhlolo National Stadium on Sunday to watch the 13th edition of the SwaziTelecom Charity Soccer Spectacular.

I was there when Mbabane Swallows beat Royal Leopard in the dreaded lottery penalty shoot-out to clinch the trophy for the second time since the annual tournament’s inception back in 2002. I was there to witness when the beautiful birds overcame Green Mamba in the semi-final to set a date with the star-studded ‘Ingwemabalabala’ in a dream final.

 I was watching when the rampaging police ensemble beat army side, Young Buffaloes in the semi-final to book a place in the final of the mouth-watering SwaziTelecom Charity Cup.
And of course, I am tempted to take this opportunity to congratulate the beautiful birds of Mbabane for their triumph at the expense of the formidable reigning quadruple champions. Swallows has proven to be the only team, so far, capable of bringing Leopard’s dominance to an end, as even last season the only trophy Leopard failed to win-the Castle Premier Challenge - was won by Swallows.

However that’s a subject for another day as today I would like to be allowed to take a glimpse at the SwaziTelecom Charity Cup which has become an important event in local football calendar. Under a new slogan, ‘itakuseta wayawaya’ the 2014 tournament started with a voting exercise whereby the 24 teams- 12 from National First Division League and 12 from Premier League - battled it out for the top six finish. With a target of 1 million votes set by the sponsors, Swaziland Post and Telecocommunication Corporation(SPTC), the teams did not disappoint as they managed to reach the target without any difficulty.

This in itself was a sign that the core objective of the Charity Cup is a success. As the voting was still in progress, the lives of many destitute Swazis received a major boost courtesy of the community projects by the ever-energetic teams. In essence, the final chapter of the Charity Cup was just splendid as hordes of football followers filled the stadium for the two day tournament which left nation yearning for more action.

No doubt, the Charity Cup has become a family day. We sincerely hope that the proceeds of this event will go a long way in helping the under-privileged Swazis out there. Surely such initiatives deserve utmost support from everyone for it to be sustainable even in the future.

As we anticipate a bigger and better event next year one cannot cease to urge the relevant stakeholders to keep up the good work in ensuring that the Charity Cup remains a life-changing event amongst society.

We really appreciate the inclusion of the juniors football, and of course all hail to Young Buffaloes Under20 for becoming the inaugural champions. Now it’s a challenge to the other teams to put more efforts in the next edition to get the top four finish which incorporates the juniors. ‘Itakuseta wayawaya’!

Comfort Jele, Hawane

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