Two Free State students off to Cuba on a scholarship

Compiled by the Government Communication and Information System
Date: 03 Sep 2009
Title: Two Free State students off to Cuba on a scholarship
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By Mosidi Mohlakela

Bloemfontein – Two young and deserving students from the Free State have jetted off to Cuba on a scholarship to study for a degree in physical education and sports.

Selected from thousands of learners in the province, Thapelo Raymond Taoa, 20, and Usa Isaac Kabelo Mothibi’s, 19, will study for five years at an international school in Havana.

“It is a great opportunity and I will use it to the best of ability to finish the course and work in the Free State,” said Thapelo, while Kabelo said he was grateful for the opportunity and would show his appreciation by doing well in his studies.

Good matric results and high involvement in different sporting codes made them deserving of the scholarships offered by the Cuban government.

The Cuban government will be responsible for the payment for the studies, provision of accommodation, meals and pocket money, while the provincial Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation will pay for the local air tickets transport.

Bidding the students farewell on Wednesday, Director in the department, Zola Mathae, said: “We are proud that you will be flying the South African flag high in Cuba and representing the Free State province.”

She encouraged the learners to plough back to the community and impart their skills to develop the sports fraternity in South Africa on their return.

“The learners were not the first to be awarded a scholarship by the Cuban government,” Ms Mathae said, adding that Teboho Thebehae, who is now a Lecturer at the University of Johannesburg, was also given a scholarship.

Urging the learners to make South Africa proud by following in Mr Thebehae’s footstep, Ms Mathae said the Free State government had great confidence in their ability to pass their studies with flying colours.

She added that this should serve as a great motivation for other learners in disadvantaged communities that their background should not limit their success in life.

“These learners have proved that there are opportunities available from government that they can use to change their lives,” she said.

Promising to share their knowledge on their return after completing their studies both learners said they would do the country proud. – BuaNews

Changes may put therapists out of work

There is the fear that scores of aromatherapists, reflexologists and massage therapists will be put out of business if proposed changes to the registration of therapeutic health practitioners go ahead.

The Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA) wants to petition the minister of health to change legislation so that the term “therapeutic” is removed from the names of the professions of aromatherapy, massage therapy and reflexology.

This means people in these fields would be known as practitioners. They would also have to register with the health council.

Tracy Chambers of the SA Association of Health and Skincare Professionals said this would influence the entire industry, as anyone wanting to practise reflexology or aromatherapy would have to comply with council regulations.

The council has said the reason for the change was to prevent people from practising as therapeutic therapists without registering with them.

Chambers said the distinction between therapeutic – meaning that it was used for healing – and non-therapeutic treatments was misleading, as both required the same knowledge.

Registered therapeutic practitioners would also be barred from offering treatment in any circumstances other than medical referrals.

“It impinges hugely on the industry,” Chambers said.

Gayl Hansen, director of the Cape Institute for Allied Health Studies, said the proposed changes did not look at the “bigger picture” of the need for basic skills at grassroots levels.

There is speculation that practitioners wanting to register with the AHPCSA would have to do a four-year degree – meaning they could practise on a clinical level.

“This is very short-sighted,” Hansen said.

She said the council needed to have multiple levels of entry and training in the health care industry so that therapists with basic training could still work in beauty salons.

Therapists with clinical training tended to work for themselves, not in a spa or beauty salon.

However, the non-registered therapist without clinical training, but with the skills to do reflexology or massage therapy, would be unable to practise.

Debbie Drake-Hoffmann, the registrar of the AHPCSA, said the change would not put therapists without clinical training out of business.

“On the contrary, if spas employed registered therapists it would ensure the public received standardised quality treatments.”

She said current legislation prevented council-registered practitioners from working for health spas or beauty salons, but the council was reviewing these regulations.

The deadline for comments on the AHPCSA’s proposed changes is July 31.

This article was originally published on page 3 of The Star on June 19, 2008

Tunisia, S’Africa plot to snatch Nigeria coach

By Adekunle Salami

 

Published: Friday, 24 Apr 2009

Nigeria is on the verge of losing one of its most experienced coaches as Tunisia and South Africa have opened discussions to lure the coach to Tunis or Johannesburg.

National table tennis coach, Babatunde Obisanya, is the man at the centre of it all. The two countries have tabled offers before the man who has been in charge of the country’s ping pong team in the past 15 years.

In all, Obisanya has been a coach since 1980 and he was elevated to national coach level in 1994.

Between 1994 till date, Nigeria remains the number one country in table tennis in Africa. The country however struggled at the last All Africa Games in Algiers but still won many medals.

Our correspondent learnt authoritatively that the offer from South Africa was huge and the coach could be on his way to the former apartheid enclave.

It was also learnt reliably that the coach had completed his service years as a civil servant under the National Sports Commission.

Speaking to our correspondent on the issue, Obisanya confirmed that the two countries approached him with good offers but he was yet to decide on where to go.

“I have paid my dues in the game because my players have excelled at continental and Commonwealth levels.

“For now I am waiting on the new board to discuss with the head after which I will take a final decision. If the conditions are right I might still stay in Nigeria but the truth is I am ready to face the challenges ahead in either Tunisia or South Africa.

“Table tennis has been part of my life. I played for Nigeria, won laurels and my players also did the same for the country. I am fulfilled as a national coach.”

At the last Africa table tennis meet, Nigeria did not do well and the coach said that Congo engaged Chinese girls to confront his team.

“We won the men’s singles through Segun Toriola and the team event but the Congolese swept the female medals to win the competition. We are still number one in Africa and we have to work hard to retain that position,” Obisanya noted.

A Nigerian coach, Kasali Lasisi, is in charge of the Congolese team along with three Nigerian-born ping pong players.