The spirit of unity took the centre stage among Durban University of Technology (DUT) Clubs and Societies as they battled for the bragging rights at the Youth Sports Day. The tournament held over two-days, took place on Saturday, 19 July 2025 at Indumiso campus in Pietermaritzburg and at Steve Biko campus in Durban, on Sunday, 20 July 2025.

This exciting event which was hosted by the Student Governance and Development unit in partnership with Student Representatives Council (SRC) aimed to promote talent, sportsmanship, togetherness and enforce culture of unity among DUT clubs and societies, and students at large.

The thrilling tournament consisted of two categories, netball and football knockouts. It took more than 40 games to crown the champions. After an intense battle amongst teams fighting for the top spot, the winners were crowned. In Midlands, SADESMO claimed the netball tittle while ANCYL were crowned champions in football. In Durban, oThulamsindo claimed the top spot in football and SRC were the winners in netball. All the winners were awarded trophies and medals.

The DUT Student Governance and Development Manager, Mr Masiza Ngculu expressed his satisfaction on the success of the event and underlined its importance in bringing the culture of unity among students.

“This initiative is very important for various reasons, like promoting positive culture, healthy lifestyle and togetherness within DUT.  We want a culture that unifies DUT, especially those who are in in leaderships structures in particular political representatives. We should also note that we are on the lead up to SRC elections. Therefore, the timing of this initiatives is crucial. We want them to understand that they are not enemies, and they must be able to compete without animosity,’’ he explained.

DUT SRC Sports Officer, Fezeka Majombozi described the event as a success and emphasised that it was more than just a tournament. She explained that the goal was to promote unity and foster a sense of togetherness among DUT students.

“We want to break that chain, that certain student is better than the other and bring them together. Eliminate the rivalry element and bring togetherness,’’ she added.

SRC Netball Team player, Asiphe Mdleko said their victory was not easy, however, through teamwork and constant communication among team members, they managed to prevail.

“I am very excited because we won all our games, we did not lose one even a single game. That is a statement on its own. We worked hard as a team and got the reward,” she expressed.

Simangaliso Xulu, oThulamsindo captain who is enrolled for Diploma in Internal Auditing expressed his excitement for their win and he highlighted that such initiatives they keep them mentally and physical fit.

“It helps us to keep away from doing things like drinking alcohol. Such initiatives keep us busy in a positive way, we gain not only fitness, but also our minds benefits,” he explained.

Pictured: Some of the winners of the DUT Clubs and Societies Youth Sports Day.

Photographer: Sbonelo Dlamini.

Vukani Langa