WeeklySA_AdminPARTNERSHIP: In a mining community marked by hardship and the memory of the 2012 massacre, a sports facility expands opportunities for children to play, learn and build their futures…
By Len Maseko
A new sports court in Marikana is giving children a place to play, build confidence and learn teamwork in a community where poverty and limited recreational opportunities lend particular significance to investment in young lives.
The Marikana Cruyff Court was officially launched on October 20 at the Afrika Tikkun-operated Marikana Youth Centre in North West. It adds organised sport and recreation to a youth development programme reaching more than 600 children and young people annually.
The facility was developed through a partnership involving Afrika Tikkun, the Johan Cruyff Foundation, Carglass/Belron Netherlands, Sibanye-Stillwater and Scania Southern Africa.
Situated in North West’s platinum mining belt, Marikana illustrates the uneasy relationship between mineral wealth and community deprivation.
Poor living conditions and shortages of recreational facilities have long formed part of the area’s challenges, documented in parliamentary discussions following the events of 2012.
Sport gives children space to discover their abilities, build confidence and learn to work with others…
For children growing up in such circumstances, access to a dedicated sports facility can make a meaningful difference to everyday life.
Marikana became the focus of international attention on August 16, 2012, when police shot and killed 34 striking mineworkers during a wage dispute at Lonmin’s platinum mine. Ten other people, including mineworkers, two police officers and two Lonmin security guards, had been killed in the preceding days, bringing the death toll to 44.
That history gives added weight to efforts to expand opportunities for the next generation. Alongside the need for livelihoods and better living conditions is the need for spaces where children can enjoy their childhood, develop their talents and imagine a wider range of possibilities for their futures.
The new court contributes to that work, with planned activities including health and fitness sessions, soccer and netball tournaments.
Agnes Sibanda, Afrika Tikkun’s Head of Scale and Outreach, said the facility would help children discover their abilities and build relationships within the centre’s broader support programme.
“Sport gives children space to discover their abilities, build confidence and learn to work with others. At Marikana, those experiences become part of a wider support system that includes learning, nutrition and social support. The court strengthens what we can offer young people as they grow.”
Officially opened in July 2024, the Marikana Youth Centre combines education, digital skills, personal development and social support.
Its programmes draw children from local feeder schools and surrounding rural and peri-rural communities, where distance can make access to structured after-school activities difficult.
Through Afrika Tikkun’s Ignite programme, learners from Grade 1 to Grade 9 receive after-school support, including literacy and numeracy assistance. The centre also provides a plated meal each day and access to an auxiliary social worker for children requiring additional support.
Older learners can participate in digital skills and work readiness programmes, with more than 70 digital workstations providing access to learning resources.
The court brings physical activity into this programme, giving young people another way to develop discipline, resilience and a sense of belonging.
Marikana is the fourth Afrika Tikkun centre to receive a Cruyff Court, following Diepsloot, Mfuleni and Orange Farm. The partnership with the Johan Cruyff Foundation uses sport and play to encourage physical activity and teach life skills, including teamwork and fair play.
“In Marikana, that approach was brought into an established youth development programme rather than introduced as a standalone project,” Sibanda said.
“Preparing children and teenagers for opportunities beyond school is part of thinking ahead to a time when livelihoods may look different from those available today. The court is one part of that broader commitment.”
Future possibilities
Afrika Tikkun Executive Chairperson and Group CEO Marc Lubner said lasting change required partners prepared to support children’s development over time.
“By connecting sport with education, skills development and personal growth, we are helping create an environment in which young people can see possibilities for their future and have the support to pursue them.”
The launch brought together partner organisations, sponsors, community stakeholders and programme participants, with international sporting figures adding their voices to the occasion.
Johan Cruyff Foundation CEO Niels Meijer, a former Dutch national basketball player, spoke about sport’s ability to bring people together and give them purpose.
Foundation ambassador and former Netherlands football international Aron Winter encouraged Afrika Tikkun’s coaches and trainers to care for the young people as they would their own children. Above all, he emphasised the importance of having fun.
For Marikana’s children, the court offers something immediate and practical: a place to join a team, enjoy a game and participate in activities beyond the school day.
“For the children who use the centre, the value of the new facility will be found in what happens on it: from the games played, to the activities shared and the opportunities to take part in something beyond the school day,” Sibanda said.
