All provinces must toe the line on Sports Wednesdays Schools Leagues – Department of Basic Education

Deputy Minister of the Department of Basic Education (DBE) Dr Reginah Mhaule has told SABC Sport that the provinces that have not heeded the call of DBE and the Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture will have a lot of explaining to do early next month.

The two departments last year as part of their Memorandum of Understanding sent out a directive for the Wednesday Leagues to return in all the provinces.

"A decision has been taken in the counsel of education ministers that we go back to Sports Wednesday.

So, if there are provinces like now, I've been told that some provinces are not allowing children to play.

That has been reported to me in this tournament and we are going to have a workshop with all MEC's of the nine provinces on the 7th of September," Mhaule said.

With sports activities vibrant in the so-called Model C schools but most schools in the townships and rural areas lacking a coordinated approach, the government came up with the approach to reintroduce the Wednesdays Leagues.

A province like Gauteng is now running the programme and they are already in week four of their football Wednesday leagues. Mhaule says it’s important that all the provinces are on the same page on this matter.

"We are going to emphasise that and we are going to make sure that our section that deals with sports in the province.

DBE works with all the sections of sports in all nine provinces as well as the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture in provinces to make sure that that decision is implemented across the board.

Not only by some provinces because we want all children to be given an opportunity to play in all our schools."