Vhembe winners! Pictured from left to right are Masala Makatu (Sportsman of the Year with a Disability), Vhumbanani Masakona (president of Vhembe Elderly Soccer) and Sheryl James (Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability). Photo: Kaizer Nengovhela.
Sport Date: 29 January 2026
The province’s top sports personalities and organisations from various sporting codes were rewarded on Saturday, 24 January, for their exceptional achievements in 2025 at the Limpopo Department of Sport, Arts and Culture’s Provincial Sport and Recreation Awards, held at The Ranch Hotel outside Polokwane.
The annual event seeks to recognise, reward and celebrate sportspeople for iconic and meritorious service in sport.
During the event, the MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, Jerry Maseko, said the awards recognise hard-working sportspeople who play a key role in developing sport in the province. He said athletes would continue to be at the centre of the department’s plans.
Maseko commended the recipients for a job well done on the field of play and urged them to continue using sport as a catalyst for change in their lives and communities. “Win or not, you are very important citizens in this province and in the sporting fraternity. We believe in you and your capabilities. Continue to promote your God-given talents and nurture this excellence in sport,” he said.
Several representatives from Vhembe graced the podium as provincial winners. Among them were Sheryl James, Masala Makatu and Vhumbani Masakona.
Vhumbani Masakona and Emily Baloyi, the president and coordinator of Vhembe Elderly Soccer, also received special MEC awards for coaching and coordination.
The full list of award recipients is as follows:
Sport Star of the Year: Johannes Maros Mosehla
Team of the Year: Limpopo Table Tennis
Coach of the Year: Mandla Mashimbi
Provincial Federation of the Year: Limpopo Fencing
Recreation Body of the Year: Kho-Kho Federation
Sport Administrator of the Year: Khomotso Masubelele
Sportsman of the Year: Rahul van Manen
Sportsman of the Year with a Disability: Masala Makatu
Sportswoman of the Year: Emily Mathosa
Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability: Sheryl James
Technical Official of the Year: Tebogo Mahanyele
Youth/Junior Sport Star of the Year: Maunatlala Tercia Mokgadi
Youth/Junior Sport Team of the Year: Limpopo Jukskei Federation
Sport Visual Journalist of the Year: Philip Maeta
Sports Media Journalist of the Year: Makgabo Nathaniel Kubyane
Sport Volunteer of the Year: Mohale Moses
