Western Cape celebrates sporting excellence at the 17th annual Sport Legends Awards
The Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) today honoured 26 extraordinary individuals at the 17th edition of the Sport Legends Awards, recognising their immense contributions to sport as athletes, administrators, and community leaders.
Delivering the keynote address, Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Ricardo Mackenzie, paid tribute to the honourees, many of whom overcame adversity under Apartheid to shape the sporting landscape of South Africa. “Your place in history is secured, not because of a single game, a record, or a championship, but because of the lives you have changed. Your legacy is not just in the past, it lives on in every child you have mentored, every athlete you have coached, and every community you have uplifted,” Mackenzie said.
The event honoured icons who played pivotal roles in various fields, including unifying South African cricket, constructing an athletics track to create opportunities for young athletes in rural areas, and pioneering rugby journalism and coaching.
The Western Cape Government remains committed to expanding access to sport, supporting grassroots development, and ensuring that the province and South Africa’s sporting heritage is celebrated and preserved.
The 26 honourees are:
- Farouk Abrahams (football & goalkeeper coaching)
- Julie William Abrahams (posthumous) (cricket)
- Dirk Brits (jukskei)
- Joseph Carolus Daniels (athletics & multi-sport development)
- Kader De Goede (football & sport administration)
- Gerald Conrad De Jager (rugby & lifesaving)
- Avril Christina Fillies (rugby journalism & coaching)
- Dr Mikhail Galukhin (fencing)
- Andrew James (rugby & athletics)
- Mark Solomon Jacobs (athletics & sport education)
- Andile Kilani (rugby)
- Kosie Koopman (athletics)
Edmund Bertram Lewis (athletics) - Peter Lindenberg (water skiing, powerboating & motorsport)
- Hudson Pillay Mati (football)
- Mondlaleli Peter Ngcaba (rugby)
- Overton November (athletics & rugby)
- Prof André Odendaal (cricket & sport history)
- Mattheus Van Papendorp (tug-of-war & disability sport)
- Katrine Anne Puttick (equestrian & para-sport)
- Nadene Scherman (netball)
- Jerry Seale (sport & disability advocacy)
- Hendrik Steyn (kickboxing & martial arts)
- Christine Van Coller (tennis)
- Paul Van der Merwe (tug-of-war)
- Andre Visser (cricket)
Media Enquiries:
Naudé van der Merwe
Spokesperson to Minister Ricardo Mackenzie
Cell: 083 507 8703