Latest news with #IthembelihleLSENSchool
The Citizen
08-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Double victory for Sikhosana and Aksak at Amex ITF Wheelchair tennis event
Top seeds Alwande Sikhosana and Zeliha Aksak claimed their second Amex ITF Wheelchair Futures Series titles at the Gauteng East Tennis Association (GETA) complex in Lakefield on July 4. Competing in South Africa for the first time in six years, Sikhosana rallied past Germany's Anthony Dittmar with a hard-fought 6-1, 7-5 victory, while Aksak, from Turkey, powered past South Africa's Nokwanda Hlongwana 6-2, 6-2 to win the women's title. Men's final After crushing Dittmar 6-2, 6-0 to clinch his first title of this tour on 30 June, Sikhosana went into the match high in confidence. Though the German battled against the wind, he made the African number one sweat for his victory. The South African commanded the opening set from the baseline, winning the bulk of the serve points to take it 6-1. The 24-year-old Sikhosana once again showed his pedigree, racing to a 4-2 lead in the second set. But Dittmar fought back without making mistakes against a rampant opponent backed by strong home support. Dittmar's fightback sent the set into a tiebreak, but Sikhosana regained his rhythm to ultimately triumph 7-5 and clinch the title in straight sets. 'It was a good match; tougher than last week. Anthony played very well in the second set. I was in control but he kept chasing me up and down. I'm happy to have kept the fighting spirit and actually taken the victory,' Sikhosana said. Sikhosana added that the victories were crucial in his chase for grand slam qualification. 'It's an amazing feeling. But the most important thing is getting the points to improve my ranking.' Dittmar, meanwhile, was content with his performance. 'The first set was pretty bad. I had good chances but I didn't hit the ball well and the wind wasn't easy for me. Alwande played well in the first set. In the second set, I just went for it and it worked a lot better. I'm happy,' he said. Women's final Having clinched the Amex ITF Futures one title on 30 June with a dominant 6-0, 6-0 victory over Ntsuku Ndlovu, Aksak was the overwhelming favourite going into this fixture. She lived up to expectations as she gave Hlongwana no chance to win the match 6-2, 6-2 for her second consecutive title. 'I feel better with my game, although I played with lots of pain in my back, which started at the beginning of this tournament. But I won all my matches and I'm happy with that,' Aksak said. Juniors Pheeha Machaka beat Orenetse Polile 6-3, 6-2 to win the boys' final, while Bridget Lesedi Malepe caused the upset of the tournament when she defeated top seed Inam Madiloyi of Germiston's Ithembelihle LSEN School, 6-2, 6-0. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
23-06-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Ithembelihle LSEN School gears up for International Wheelchair Tennis Tournament
Ithembelihle LSEN School is set to host the AMEX International Tennis Federation (ITF) International Wheelchair Series from June 27 to July 4, riding high on the back of recent accolades. The school was recently recognised at the Ekurhuleni North District Awards. In the 2024 Schools Sports Awards, Lerato Sarelwa took second place in the LSEN Schools' male athlete of the year category, while Khopolo Motebang secured third place in the LSEN Schools' female athlete of the year category. The school also placed second in the LSEN Schools' cultural school of the year category. Additionally, Ufumanekile Shumane was crowned male cultural administrator of the year. ALSO READ: Ithembelihle LSEN School showered with donations School principal Leanor Ngozi said it was an honour to be recognised by the district. 'Our learners have experienced a significant boost in confidence since we introduced various extracurricular activities. 'Khanya Xundu is an excellent ambassador for our school, proudly representing us in wheelchair basketball. 'We're also hosting the wheelchair tennis series, which encourages our former learners to stay active and involved even after leaving school. 'We're excited to welcome international participants, including players from Morocco, and to promote a lifelong love of sport among our students.' Ngozi highlighted the school's vibrant extracurricular programme, which includes mass participation in athletics, boccia, and table tennis. 'Our learners have excelled, even competing against able-bodied players. Recently, they won a major trophy in table tennis,' she said. 'Beyond sports, we offer a range of activities including food gardening, an arts studio, music, and more. Our food gardening project has attracted significant attention, and the Department of Education has indicated that President Cyril Ramaphosa may visit to see our agricultural achievements. 'Our campus farm features poultry, herb gardens, and strawberry cultivation. We are now selling live chickens and plan to introduce egg production. ALSO READ: Ithembelihle LSEN celebrates International Day of the Girl Child 'This initiative not only provides protein-rich food for our students but also equips them with valuable skills in agriculture and entrepreneurship. All proceeds are reinvested into the school, promoting sustainability and self-sufficiency.' Ngozi added that the school is seeking a sponsor to help expand the farming and agriculture project, specifically to extend the greenhouses. 'We're building on the momentum gained from a previous sponsorship that provided a reliable borehole system,' she said. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
23-04-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Germiston school speaks out at global disability forum
Mendy Welcome, deputy principal of Ithembelihle LSEN School and SADTU-RSA representative, attended the Global Disability Summit 2025 in Berlin. He highlighted challenges in South Africa, including limited disability inclusion in workplaces and universities lacking capacity for students with disabilities. Insufficient infrastructure and transportation access and budget cuts affecting schools, particularly special schools, were additional challenges he highlighted. ALSO READ: Ithembelihle LSEN School showered with donations Welcome's presentation emphasised the need for greater inclusivity and accessibility in South Africa's education system and workplaces. 'Infrastructure and transportation that is ready to enable access for the impaired is still a challenge. 'There is still a lack of suitable infrastructure to accommodate, for example, wheelchair users in workspaces and learning institutions,' said Welcome. 'Budget cuts to all schools are a national catastrophe, making it extremely difficult for schools to operate without adequate resources, particularly for special schools,' said Welcome. The summit brought together a wide variety of stakeholders, engaging and discussing progress in disability inclusion: governments, multilateral agencies, the private sector, academia, trade unions and civil society organisations, organisations of persons with disabilities, and foundations. The opening of the event was entrusted to Nawaf Kabbara, president of the International Disability Alliance (IDA) and to the representatives of the two co-organising governments of the event, Germany and Jordan, respectively by Chancellor Olaf Schulz and King Abdullah Al Hussein. ALSO READ: Ithembelihle LSEN School marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month The two-day event saw a succession of in-depth studies and round tables discussions, for the analysis of situations in different countries and social contexts. An important space was reserved for the theme of inclusion in school and work. One of the main panels was creating inclusive labour markets and decent work for people with disabilities around the world, which was attended by Luc Triangle, Secretary General of the International Trade Union Confederation. Triangle underlined the three main priorities for action to achieve significant progress at the international level with respect to the right to inclusion: the creation of specific legislation, the defense of the welfare state attacked daily by right-wing governments and the implementation of the green and digital economy. ALSO READ: 20 wheelchairs donated to iThembelihle LSEN School In addition to the numerous in-depth tables related to the education sector, the summit was an opportunity for Education International, the international federation of trade unions in the knowledge sectors, to co-ordinate the presence of some of the affiliated organisations: VBE from Germany, JTU from Japan, FLC CGIL from Italy, FENPROF from Portugal, NASUWT from the United Kingdom and SADTU from South Africa. The final day saw the launch of the Amman-Berlin Declaration, which proposes two specific objectives: • To ensure that all international development programmes are accessible to persons with disabilities. • Strive to ensure that at least 15% of international development programmes implemented at national level pursue disability inclusion. With the goal of '15% for 15%,' the Amman-Berlin Declaration seeks to establish, for the first time, a quantifiable target for the inclusion of the largest minority group: 15-16 % of the world's population. The goal is to achieve this milestone by the fourth GDS in 2028. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
