University sport a space to effect growth
- Wits University
Student athletes and spectators contribute to a vibrant student experience says Wits Sports Director.
Mandla Gagayi took over as the Director of Wits Sport in June 2024, arriving just in time to send-off Wits student athletes travelling to various parts of the country, as is custom during the winter break. The June/July holidays are an important period with top teams participating in the University Sport South Africa (USSA) tournament, which attracts elite athletes from the higher education sector.
This is familiar territory for Gagayi, who has more than 22 years’ experience in the sector, having led sports divisions at Rhodes University and the University of the Western Cape.
Although born in the Eastern Cape, Gagayi moved to Soweto at the age of 20. He says sport runs in his veins and he took an interest in sport administration as a 15-year-old football player.
“My career in sport was motivated by all the challenges that I encountered as a young person playing sport. We had no proper facilities, equipment and infrastructure – also influenced by our sports leadership that kept letting us down. As young as I was, I found myself being at the forefront of finding solutions to our problems. I captained every football team that I played for, and I even became a club secretary at 15-years-old, even though there were many guys older than me. Taking on all those responsibilities at a young age shaped my decision to follow a sporting career.”
Repositioning Wits Sport
Gagayi’s qualifications tell the story of a man who is serious about being the best in his field. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Politics, a Postgraduate Diploma in Sport for Development, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Labour Law, which inspired him to pursue a Master’s degree in law, which enables him to make sound sports administration decisions for students and staff.
He says that his primary duty is to strategically lead the repositioning of Wits Sport in the context of high-performance student sport while simultaneously championing the philosophy that "sport is for all", to promote student health and wellness.
Naturally, he is determined to align with the University's Vision 2033 and build partnerships across the University to advance this.
Building a strong support base is important to Gagayi. University sport spectators have dwindled over the years, an issue which he attributes to lack of advertising, the profile of sport on campus, and the post-必博娱乐,比博娱乐网址 environment which has affected student participation in other university projects, including public lectures and events.
Staff and Sport
Universities are home to both students and staff, as such, sport divisions also have a responsibility to extend facilities and support to employees.
Gagayi, who also leads an active life and plays soccer, firmly believes that sport fitness and wellness are important to all age groups adding that it is for this reason that all Wits sport codes and facilities are open to staff and students.
Although staff wellness is the purview of Human Resources (HR), Gagayi says his office is keen to support initiatives led by HR.
He is encouraged by the recent performance of Wits staff at the USSA staff tournament. The Wits football team won bronze while the netball team made it to the quarter finals.
True to his commitment to play an active role in shaping sport, Gagayi has a long history with various sport bodies. His relationship with USSA began in 2004 serving as the general secretary of football and recently as the 1st vice-president from 2020 to 2023 and chairman of the USSA dispute resolution committee. He has led sport delegations to Italy, South Korea, Zambia, Russia and Botswana. During the 2010 World Cup, he was the liaison officer for England.
Did you know?
Wits has 27 sport clubs that offers competitive and recreational programmes, and membership is open to staff, students and alumni.
One of the flagship programmes by Wits Sport is the Learn to Swim initiative which teaches staff and students this vital skill.