A historical overview of the Western Province Senior Schools Sports Union, 1956 To 1973

Abstract

A scientific-historical study was undertaken in order to investigate the early development of the only multi-coded school sport organization in Cape Town. The study is introduced by identifying the need for researching school sport in South Africa, in particular Cape Town. First a brief overview of multi-coded school sport organization in Cape Town is present ed. Next, the emergence of the Western Province Senior Schools Sport Union (WPSSSU) and how this organization differed with all existing patterns of school sport management is explored. The ideology underpinning this organization, that emphasizes a complete break with ruling class institutions, can be traced back to Trotskyite non-collaboration philosophy. A conclusion is made by stressing the link between sport and schooling and that unjust sport practices flourish because the system of education in South Africa is still unjust. It is therefore imperative that the history of the WPSSSU be recorded because it offered the mass of deprived school children in Cape Town participation opportunities.

Key words: School sport, non-racialism, teacher activism, Western Province Senior Schools Sports Union.