Seriti Green’s second Siqalo Sports Tournament saw soccer return, women’s netball make its debut and communities across three Mpumalanga towns share in the action

The final whistles have blown, the trophies have been lifted, and Bethal, Davel and Morgenzon have their new champions after a day of soccer, netball and community celebration at the second Seriti Green Siqalo Sports Tournament in Bethal on Saturday.

Broomlions Football Club from Morgenzon were crowned the 2026 soccer champions following a thrilling final that went down to a penalty shootout, while Bethal’s Puzzles Netball Club etched their name into the tournament’s history books by becoming Siqalo’s inaugural netball champions after securing a dramatic victory in the closing seconds of the final.

For Seriti Green, however, one of the most significant results was visible beyond the scoreboards. A tournament that began with soccer in 2025 returned this year with women’s netball, wider community participation, fan parks in Davel and Morgenzon and increased support from Seriti Green’s banking partners. The development of Siqalo over just two years reflects the enthusiasm with which the communities surrounding the Ummbila Emoyeni Wind Energy Facility have embraced the initiative.

Puseletso Sekebata, representing the Bethal teams, said: “On behalf of all the teams from Bethal, I would like to express our sincere appreciation for the Siqalo Sports Tournament. This was the first time our communities have experienced an event of this scale, and we are truly grateful for the opportunity it created for players, supporters and residents across Bethal, Davel and Morgenzon. The tournament brought people together in a way we have not seen before, and we hope it continues to grow in the years ahead.”

A proud second year for Siqalo

Players, coaches, families and supporters gathered at Jim Van Tonder School in Bethal from early Saturday morning as four teams representing the three host communities competed in soccer and netball semi-finals before the afternoon finals.

The introduction of netball was one of the defining developments of this year’s tournament, creating a competitive platform for women and broadening participation in Siqalo.

For Peter Venn, CEO of Seriti Green, seeing the tournament return and develop was a proud moment.

Venn said: “It has been incredibly rewarding to see Siqalo return for a second year and grow in ways that reflect what the communities themselves want to see. Watching players, supporters, families and local leaders embrace the tournament and make it their own has been one of the highlights of the day. The introduction of netball is an important step in broadening participation and creating more opportunities, and we are excited about how Siqalo can continue to develop alongside the communities of Bethal, Davel and Morgenzon in the years ahead.”

The progression from the first tournament to Saturday’s event is also an important signal for Seriti Green.

Community engagement is difficult to measure through commitments alone. It becomes visible when people participate. On Saturday, that participation stretched from community leaders and local sporting structures through to players, coaches, families and residents supporting their towns.

Three towns sharing one tournament

While the main competition took place in Bethal, the atmosphere extended into Davel and Morgenzon through two dedicated community fan parks.

Residents gathered to follow live coverage of the tournament, with music, entertainment and catering helping turn the sporting programme into a broader community occasion.

Standard Bank sponsored the Davel Fan Park and served as lead sponsor of the new netball competition. Absa sponsored the Morgenzon Fan Park, while RMB provided additional sponsorship support to the tournament.

The expansion into the fan parks meant Siqalo was being experienced simultaneously across all three communities, giving residents who were unable to travel to Bethal an opportunity to participate in the day.

Investment that stays with the teams

Saturday’s winners leave Siqalo with trophies and recognition, but participating teams will also leave with resources intended to support their development long after this weekend.

Soccer and netball teams are receiving playing kits, balls, bibs, cones, pumps and other sporting equipment to support training and future participation.

For Mike Teke, Group CEO of Seriti Resources and Chairman of Seriti Green, this is where the importance of an initiative such as Siqalo connects with the wider development of Mpumalanga.

Teke said: “The real value of investment is measured by the difference it makes in people’s everyday lives. Events like Siqalo demonstrate how sport can bring communities together, create opportunities for young people and strengthen local pride. We are proud to see the people of Bethal, Davel and Morgenzon embracing this tournament, and we remain committed to ensuring that development reaches communities in ways that are meaningful, visible and lasting.”

That community-level impact is particularly significant in a province experiencing substantial change as new energy investment develops alongside its established industrial and mining economy.

Seriti Green’s Ummbila Emoyeni development has brought major renewable energy infrastructure into this part of Mpumalanga. Siqalo provides a very different but complementary expression of the company’s relationship with the communities around that infrastructure: investment in people, participation and local institutions.

The future of Siqalo

By Saturday evening, there were new champions, new Players of the Match and the first group of Siqalo netball winners.

There were also the less formal moments that ultimately defined the day: supporters cheering on their communities from the Bethal sports grounds and the fan parks in Davel and Morgenzon; young players celebrating every goal, save and point with teammates on the sidelines; families spending the day together in support of their local teams; and the historic presentation of the first Siqalo netball trophy to Bethal’s Puzzles Netball Club.

Those are important signs of how Siqalo is developing. In its first year, the tournament created a new sporting occasion for the three communities. In its second year, the communities have helped make it bigger.

The addition of netball, the extension into Davel and Morgenzon through the fan parks, continued participation from local teams and growing partnership support provide a foundation from which the tournament can continue to develop.

For Bethal, Davel and Morgenzon, Saturday belonged to the players and communities.

For Seriti Green, it was a proud indication of what can happen when an initiative returns, listens, grows and becomes increasingly rooted in the communities it was created to serve. Just six weeks after President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the opening of Seriti Green’s Ummbila Emoyeni Wind Farm, the company once again put its words into action where South African communities come together as one – on the sports field.