The Umsombomvu Rugby club, also known as Comrades, which is based in the location of Butterworth (eGcuwa) will never stand in need nor be in short supply of training and playing equipment. This is due to the generosity of Hollywood Bets, who came to sponsor the comrades, with rugby ball, tackle bags, contact shields and first aid material.
The below article was posted on the Isolezwe isiXhosa website, and was directly translated from isiXhosa to English to be published here. Read the original article here.
Hollywoodbets in conjunction with Kaunda Ntunja, who used to play for the Free State Cheetahs and the former captain of the Junior Boks, sponsored the club with the express aim of assisting the development of rugby sport in impoverish rural areas, and to revive the spirit of rugby in this area.
The P.R.O of the Comrades Mr. Simpiwe Tsipa thank Hollywood Bets and Kuanda Ntunja for the immerse contribution to the community of Umsobomvu and the Comrades. He was left speechless and at the lose for words, as he was overwhelmed by the joy he felt. He had no words to quantify what this means to the Comrades and the residents of Umsobomvu.
Tsipa alluded and reflected on the times that, Comrades used to play under the Border Rugby Union, though they had struggled at that time. Tsipa said, they used to have one old beat up practice rugby ball, but all of that has changes, thanks to the sponsorship they have received from Hollywoodbets.
Because of meager resources, it was a battle to get players to come for rugby practices. All of that has now become a thing of a past. That can be attributed to the efforts taken by Kaunda, who’s also a sport presenter for Supersport. He took it upon himself and sought sponsorship and assistance from Hollywoodbets.
At the time, he had no idea, that his vision and goal, was the same as Hollywoodbets. Upon learning of Hollywoodbets’ vision for community development through sport, he was more determine to work with them.
Kaunda said “After we came to an agreement of working together, I was determined to drive the development of rugby at the grassroot level, and what better way to do that, than at home.”
He also said that, he knows the community of Gcuwa (Butterworth) very well, and more importantly, their undying love and dedication to rugby. Even with limited resources, that did not become a deterrent to play the sport they love.
Last September, Hollywoodbets and Ntunja kick started their sponsorship of the club, by giving the team uniform and playing kit, with the promise of more going forward. He said there’s still more that needs to be done for the club and the community. He again reiterated that commitment during his remarks at the equipment handover.
The occasion was attended by many prominent members of the community, among those in attendance, was the Honourable Mayor of Mnquma, Mr. Sithembiso Cetezo. Mr. Thando Ngumbela, who’s an entrepreneur, made a commitment to sponsor the team with playing boots, as he felt inspired by what Hollywoodbets and Kuanda are doing for the community of Gcuwa.
Read the original article as posted on Isolezwe isiXhosa here.
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