Speach by Sam Tsima
Dear Fellow Graduates;
Good afternoon, once again. I am speaking to you in my capacity as the President & Chairman of Cometsa Group. But I am referring to you as my fellow graduates, because indeed I am also graduating with you today. We have been learning together in this course.
We have arrived at the end of this course, but I would like to remind you that this is just the beginning of a long journey of transferring the knowledge to our own players at our clubs and broader community in South Africa.
I would like to thank a number of people, who have made this course possible:
· Our funders: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Youth Development through Football Project (YDF). They have provided funding to make it possible for us to run the course
· Our facilitators: Mr Nhlanhla Sibiya and Ms Portia Diketane. They have been wonderful. It was a great experience to have been learning under the facilitation of my subordinate, Mr Nhlanhla Sibiya, who acted as the co-facilitator with Ms Portia Diketane. Let us give them a warm round of applause.
· Our host: Deutsche Internationale Schule Johannesburg has provided us with this great facility, this hall, the change rooms, and the soccer field. We have been partners with the school since we were founded in August 1997. We value this partnership and wish to continue nurturing it for a long time.
· Cometsa office staff: Tsumbedzo Luvhimbi (Head: Sam Tsima Cometsa Brands), Thulani Thabethe (Head: 1.FC Cometsa Goldstones 1997), and Nhlanhla Sibiya (Head: Cometsa Recruitment Consultants). They have worked very hard in organizing the logistic and administration that enabled us to run this course. I, as their leader, I set them and myself very high standard. I demand quality work and high performance attitude. They are living to my expectation, but still en route to the highest level the organization of type is expected to reach. But they enjoy the highest mentoring, coaching and support from me. We thank them for the good work well done.
· Cometsa Directors: Mposetse Mathole, Director of both Cometsa Sports Development Agency and Cometsa Friends & Supporters Club. Rita Rangwaga, our first women Director of Cometsa Sports Development Agency. Brian Kekana, the former Director of Cometsa Sports Development Agency and now Team Leader at Sci-Bono Discover Centre in Newtown, Johannesburg. These colleagues have been showing their leadership throughout this course, on top of being excellent learners.
· Cometsa trainer/players, and now fellow YDF Coaches: Rahman Sumadi, Tiny Sebokwane, Lefa Masemola, and Mpho Sobantu. These are our new team of trainers that are going to join us in rolling out the YDF Courses throughout the country. I want them for holding the Cometsa flag so high.
· Blue Lenz Pictures: represented by the Owner & Executive Producer, Ms Innocentia Masimene, for spending some time with us capturing the activities in the course. They are going to produce a DVD from this course. We believe that this is going to be a collectors’ item. Should you be interested in owning a copy, make a follow up with our marketing company, STC Brands, c/o Tsumbedzo Luvhimbi. She will let you know what you need to do to obtain such a copy.
· Our caterers: Forks & Fingers who provided catering service on the 23rd & 24th June 2012, and Nantos Melville, who supplied eats for us yesterday, the 7th July 2012, and today, the 8th July 2012.
· International Assemblies of God (Thokoza): Rev Masasa Lefu and his colleague, for spending a day with us yesterday, the 7th July 2012, as observers. We have agreed to take the YDF Course to KATORUS (Katlehong, Thokoza, and Vosloorus) area. Rev Lefu has volunteered his church to coordinate the coaches from the area, and even to become the nucleus in organizing the Ekurhuleni based coaches to attend a series of YDF Courses to be offered by Cometsa.
· Our guest speaker: The HR Director, Merck Group (South Africa), Adelha Rhoda. Cometsa and Merck have been working together on a number of initiatives since the beginning of 2011. We hope to find a new common ground around the YDF Programme, and hopefully partner in taking it to the deserving communities (townships & rural) in South Africa. At Cometsa, we believe in forming partnerships with companies than asking for donations. We thank Adelha for taking time on a Sunday to come share her thoughts with us graduates. We are asking her to take our warm greetings to the leadership of Merck Group South Africa and thank them for their generosity with her valuable time and expertise. As Head of HR in global multinational company like Merck Group, one is twenty four hours plugged on the company’s affairs. Please share your experience of the YDF with the Merck family.
· The Best & Brightest: all of you the graduates of the YDF Course, as offered by Cometsa Sports Development Agency, financially supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Youth Development through Football Project (YDF). You have been magnificent. You have now joined many other torch bearers of the Youth Development through Football (YDF) in Africa.
We are looking forward to working with you all as we take this course to other communities.
I wish you, your football clubs, communities and families great success in your Endeavour’s.
Lastly, we would like you to take note of the following:
· Later in the year we will be organizing the YDF reunion in a form of a football tournament of the clubs represented in this course at this venue. Please be in touch with Thulani for further details. We hope to invite the YDF office to attend the tournament
· You are all invited to attend Cometsa Group 15th Anniversary Party at our Club House in Klopper Park, Isando, on the first weekend of August 2012. Our birth date is on the 1st of August. Please be in touch with Tsumbedzo Luvhimbi for further details. We have been in existence for 15th years. We would like to celebrate this milestone with our founder members, friends, clients, funders, family members and staff. Be sure to be there. There will be entertainment. This is the annual event, and we would like you to diarize it for life.
· The next Cometsa facilitated YDF Course is on the 21st & 22nd July 2012, and 29th & 30th July 2012, in Mabopane, North Gauteng. We are offering the course to the Mabopane Local Football Association, an affiliate of the Tshwane region of the South African Football Association (SAFA).
· This will be followed the KATORUS region as already stated.
· Then followed by Makhuduthamaga Local Football Association, in Jane Furse, Limpopo Province, an affiliate of the Sekhukhune region of the South African Football Association (SAFA).
We are looking forward to receiving more invitations from our diverse South African communities to come and run the YDF Courses for them.
We thank you, and go well.
Sam Tsima
President & Chairman, Cometsa Group
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