The nominees for the fifth edition of the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Regional Annual Sport Awards (RASA) 2023 have been announced. The RASA is scheduled to be hosted in Eswatini on Saturday 24 June 2023. The event which will be celebrated under the theme, “Celebrating Excellence, Inspiring Innovation” is expected to attract about three hundred (300) invited guests and dignitaries, including six ministers of sport from Region 5 Member Countries, legends and sports celebrities from across the Region.
Confirming the final list of the top three nominees per category, the CEO of AUSC Region 5, Stanley Mutoya confirmed that the voting process which commenced on 19 May 2023, ended at midnight on 31 May 2023 and the top three (3) deserving athletes per category were now in the public domain. “We now wait with bated breath for the night of the event where the winners will be coronated” said Mutoya. The voting process which consists of a very thorough process under the watchful eye of Grant Thornton Botswana audit firm involved all the Region’s stakeholders.
Eligibility for the RASA is based on the country hosting its own national awards. Winners from the national awards automatically qualify to be in the long list of nominees for the RASA, from which the top three are selected and the winner is announced during the RASA gala night.
Eight of the Region 5 Member Countries (with the exception of Angola and Lesotho) entered
nominees for the 2023 RASA edition.
The awards are made up of 12 categories to recognise athletes, coaches, Member Countries, Regional Confederations, journalists and teams that have produced outstanding performances in sport at regional and international level. Winners of ten of these categories are selected through a voting process with the confederation of the year and country of the year being selected through an adjudication panel.
This year’s panel is scheduled to sit on Tuesday 13 June 2023 in Gaborone, Botswana and comprises of Charles Dzimba, the
former SCSA Zove VI General Manager (Now AUSC Region 5) Gideon Sam, the former
Chairperson of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee and Miriam Moyo, the former President of the Zambia National Olympic Committee and current Commonwealth Games Federation Regional Vice President for Africa. The Confederation of the Year award will be conferred to that confederation that is in-good
standing in corporate governance, participates in the Region’s programmes and activities and runs regular competitions in the region. The respective Regional Confederating must be geared in the goal of producing talent that will represent the Region at the world stage events. The Country of the year award will go to a country that would have taken a leadership role in the implementation of the AUSC Region 5 programmes, has well-executed sport and recreation development programmes and produces athletes and teams that are excelling and bringing home medals from international championships and events.
THE NOMINEES FOR THE 2023 RASA
JUNIOR SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR – Sihlelelwe Zwakele Matsebula, Taekwondo, Eswatini – Sean Joseph, Boxing, Malawi – William Chinzewe, Draught, Zambia
JUNIOR SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR – Hayley Hoy, Swimming, Eswatini – Christine Mboma, Athletics, Namibia – Jade Phiri, Swimming, Zambia
SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR –
Peter Shalulile, Football, Namibia – Pieter Coetzee, Swimming, South Africa – Tebogo Letsile, Athletics, Botswana
SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR
– Lara Van Niekerk, Swimming, South Africa – Naledi, Marape, Chess, Botswana – Halalia Johannes, Athletics, Namibia
SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR WITH A DISABILITY
– Jonathan Ntuntu, Athletics, South Africa – Edwin Masuge, Athletics, Botswana – Ananias Shikongo, Athletics, Namibia
SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR WITH A DISABILITY
– Minkie Janse van Rensburg, Swimming, South Africa – Lahja Ishitile, Athletics, Namibia – Ivy Chanda, Football, Zambia
SPORTS TEAM OF THE YEAR
– Botswana 4 x 400 meters Men Relay, Athletics, Botswana – Malawi Women Football Team (The Scorchers) Football, Malawi – Copper Queens, Football, Zambia
COACH OF THE YEAR
– Justice Dipeba, Athletics, Botswana – Cheryl Tafadzwa Hove, Special Olympics, Zimbabwe – Lucas Sinoia, Boxing, Mozambique
JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
– Peter Kanjere, Malawi – Memory Malisawa, Zambia – Hloni Mtimkulu, South Africa
SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR
– Andile Dlamini, Football, South Africa – Rady Adosinda Gramane, Boxing, Mozambique – Tebogo Letsile, Athletics, Botswana
As AUSC Region 5 we are delighted that all eight participating countries have had at least a finalist for the 5th edition of the RASA. The breakdown of the finalists by countries for 2023 is as follows:
Botswana – six (6) finalists Eswatini – Two (2) finalistsMalawi – Three (3) finalists Mozambique – Two (2) finalists Namibia – Six (6) finalists South Africa – Six (6) finalists Zambia – Five (5) finalists Zimbabwe – One (1) finalist
