Tonight, Rhodes University’s athletes will trade their purple and white sports kits for suits and ball gowns as they are honoured and recognised for their sportsmanship at the much-anticipated Sports Awards ceremony.  

Through the annual Sports Awards, Rhodes University seeks to honor athletes who have excelled in their respective sporting codes and have kept Rhodes running smoothly over the last two years.

In attendance at the event will be two esteemed guest speakers who are no strangers to Rhodes Sport as they have respectively played for the netball team and coached the hockey team before pursuing international success.

Bavuyise Matyumza, a Grahamstown native, played for Rhodes Netball before being chosen for the South African under 21 and under 23 teams. The 26 year old has been playing netball for at least 15 years. She is a self-confessed tennis and rugby fanatic.

The second speaker of the night is former national hockey goalkeeper and Rhodes hockey coach Chris Hibbert.  Hibbert competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics and in the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The awards to be handed out tonight include Inter-Res Spirit, Inter-Res Winners, Staff Coach, Student Coach, Committee of the Year, Club of the Year and Performance Awards. The big awards of the evening are Sportsman/Woman of the Year.