Kopano Monaheng
FOR kids to be successful in sports, they need more resources.
That’s where Suzuki Auto South Africa comes into the picture.
The donation of five bags filled with cricket equipment worth over R140 000 have been donated to the Cricket South Africa (CSA) in support of grassroots cricket development in the country.
These cricket hubs are:
Bridgton Hub – Western Cape
Duduza Hub – Gauteng
Phalaborwa Hub – Limpopo
Matlosana Hub – North-West
Thembalethu Hub – Western Cape
The donation aims to help the athletes develop to their full potential.
Suzuki is actively involved in supporting not just professional football institutions in the country, but the amateur sport as well.
Brendon Carpenter, the brand marketing manager at Suzuki Auto South Africa, explained how the donation came about.
“The donation follows the record-breaking Betway SA20 Season 4 competition, which challenged South Africans to guess how many cricket balls were packed inside a branded Suzuki Swift vehicle displayed at SA20 matches nationwide,” he said.
The car, which contained 8 363 cricket balls, became a standout feature of the tournament and captured the imagination of fans across the country.
For every entry received, Suzuki committed to contributing R1 towards cricket development.
With just under 140,000 entries logged during the campaign, the brand fulfilled its pledge with a R140,000 worth of cricket equipment contribution, turning fan participation into meaningful grassroots impact.
Carpenter said the overwhelming public response motivated the brand to expand the campaign’s impact beyond the Betway SA20 competition itself.
“We were blown away by the level of participation from cricket fans and wanted to ensure that every entry made a difference. Ballin’ with Suzuki was always about celebrating fans, and this extension allows us to give back to the communities that continue to grow the game,” he said.
Supporting youth cricket development is one of the ways they can help create lasting opportunities for young players across the country.
One of the coaches, Mosiuoa Kabi from Ikageng in Potchefstroom, North West who spoke to Ezimtoti News during the official handover of the equipment, said the donation of sports equipment came at the right time they needed it the most.
The handover took place in Pretoria on Tuesday, 24 February at the CSA Centre of Excellence which is based within the University of Pretoria Sport Campus.
Mosiuoa has been amateur coach since 2015 and he coaches boys and girls.
“That shows recognition for the work that we’re doing, and it shows that there’s support. Honestly, for me, it was more about developing the kids than the sport itself,” said the coach.
He said the youngest player in his team is six years old and the oldest is 21.