Basketball players selected for national student team
SLAM DUNK: Chad Smitsdorff, Matome Mokoena and Bonga Kalipa
Friday, 05 September 2014
Chad Smitsdorff and Bonga Kalipa’s natural talent for basketball is paying off.
These CPUT students have secured a coveted spot on the South African Student Team and recently competed in the Confederation of Universities and Colleges Sports Association (CUCSA) Games in Zambia.
Their excellent performance during the USSA 2014 Basketball National Championships in July earned them the title of Allstars, a recognition bestowed on the top five players of the tournament.
A first-year IT student, Chad has been playing basketball since the age of nine and at the start of this year moved from the Mitchell’s Plain-based Gladiator Club to CPUT Cats.
“I’ve grown so much in this team,” he says.
“I’m getting exposure, learning new techniques and improving my game.”
But Chad, who plays the position of point guard, attributes his success to his team, who earlier this year won the Western Cape basketball league.
“The team spirit is great, so you are motivated to win all the time,” says Chad.
And Bonga, a second-year Mechanical Engineering student agrees.
“The CPUT Cats team is like a family. We work well together,” he says.
Bonga joined the team in 2013 and has moved up the ranks to the position of shooting guard.
“I am very excited about this opportunity,” he says.
Assistant coach, Matome Mokoena, says he is proud of the players’ achievement.
“This is exciting because two players out of a squad of 12 are from CPUT. Other universities don’t even have a player in the national team. This puts CPUT on the map,” says Mokoena.
Written by Candes Keating
Email: keatingc@cput.ac.za
Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.
News categories
- Advancement 13
- Alumni 77
- Awards 42
- Campus Life 20
- Community Engagement 158
- Disability Unit 12
- Applied Sciences 93
- Business & Management Sciences 90
- Education 96
- Engineering & the Built Environment 131
- Health & Wellness Sciences 87
- Informatics & Design 69
- Fundani CHED 25
- Funding 19
- GBV 16
- Graduation 80
- HIV/Aids Unit 39
- Know Your CPUT 65
- Libraries 18
- News 3712
- RTIP 286
- Residences (Accommodation) 14
- Staff 629
- SIIP 38
- Students 1282
- Student Health 43
- Sport, Arts & Culture 112
- SRC 4
- Student Affairs 11
- University Leadership 17
- Varsity Shield 17
- Vice-Chancellor 24
- Work-Integrated Learning 21
- THENSA 10
Latest NEWS
Photo Credit: Iviwe Tom
Nursing Science Department celebrates Nurses Day
Monday, 08 June 2026
Read more
