Kgati player skips her way to success

TALENTED: Abenathi Ntelezi

Tuesday, 04 October 2022

A fourth-year student’s superb rope-skipping skills earned her a place in the Western Cape Kgati team who recently jumped their way to a silver medal at the National Indigenous Games Tournament.

Tourism Management student and Kgati player Abenathi Ntelezi from Khayelitsha is a keen sport enthusiast who says Kgati requires fitness and flexibility, a variety of styles, coordination, and the ability to sing while jumping – all of which necessitates practice and regular training.

“Kgati, also known as ugqaphu in Xhosa, is a rope-skipping game played by a team of six players (three girls and three boys). Players skip over a rope, two players swing the rope while the others jump and you can jump in singles, doubles, triples or even four players inside the rope. You sing and dance while jumping and all songs must be traditional,” she explained.

“I started playing Kgati at school sports level (juniors), where I was selected to represent the Western Cape Province in Pretoria, Gauteng. In that tournament, we finished in position one – a gold medal, which is how I was identified for the senior team. Since then I have not stopped, and I continue training to today.”

She said this year’s games taught her about unity and celebrating diverse cultures while respecting and tolerating people from various backgrounds.

“To me, the experience was more than just sports; it was an educational experience that reminded me of my cultural roots and instilled a sense of pride in me. While I was there to compete, it was more about preserving age-old traditions and stories, which has also helped me learn and understand the social construct of different cultures and traditions within our country. I am grateful for the opportunity and look forward to next year's national games endeavours, which I will begin preparing for this year.”

The team finished second out of the nine provinces represented, earning a silver medal.

Abenathi was recently selected as a coach for the Western Cape province's u/14 Kgati team, which will compete in the South African School Sports Championships in Pretoria from December 9 to 15.

“This is one code where there’s growth. It is very encouraging to see development and being recognised.,” she said.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
Email: Frederickskennediji@cput.ac.za

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Kgati player skips her way to success