22 August 2011
Hashim Amla, the world’s top ranked one-day international batsman, was named Sports Star of the Year at the South African Sports Awards at Sun City on Sunday evening.
He received the award ahead of US Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, breaststroke superstar Cameron van der Burgh, IRB Sevens Series Player of the Year Cecil Afrika, and Banyana Banyana’s leading goal-scorer, Noko Matlou.
Amla was voted the Cricket South Africa Fans’ Cricketer of the Year at the SA Cricket Awards in June. His fellow cricketers also voted him the SA Players’ Player of the Year.
In September, he will be up for the LG People’s Choice Award at the LG ICC Awards 2011.
Van der Burgh, the world record holder in the 50 metres breaststroke in both short and long course, and the short course record holder over 100 metres, beat Amla, Schwartzel and Afrika to win the Sportsman of the Year Award.
Recently, he won bronze medals over both distances in the Fina World Championships in Shanghai. He did the double in the Commonwealth Games in 2010.
Sportswoman of the Year
Noko Matlou, the 2008/09 African Women’s Player of the Year, was named Sportswoman of the Year. She was part of the team that claimed bronze at the African Women’s Championships, which were held in South Africa in 2010.
The others finalists were Pietie Coetzee, the all-time leading goal scorer in international hockey, and javelin thrower Sunette Viljoen, who recently set an African record at the 2011 Summer Universiade with a tremendous throw of 66.47 metres, which places her fourth in the world rankings this year.
Ernie Els, who entered the World Golf Hall of Fame in May, was presented with a Steve Tshwete lifetime achievement award.
Fifth dan black belt Kyokushin karateka Peter “Poison” Thage, the head of the Matsushima Karate Association of South Africa, also received a lifetime achievement award.
Three of the main drivers behind South Africa’s successful hosting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup were recognised with lifetime achievement awards too: Local Organising Committee (LOC) CEO Danny Jordaan, Chairman of the LOC Irvin Khoza, and former South African Football Association President Molefi Oliphant.
Jordaan was also honoured as Administrator of the Year.
Team of the Year
The Bulls, winners of the Super 14 in 2009 and 2010, were named Team of the Year, while coach Frans Ludeke picked up the Coach of the Year Award.
The Newcomer of the Year went to swimmer Chad le Clos. During 2010, he won a gold, three silvers, and a bronze medal at the Youth Olympics in Singapore. Then, at the Commonwealth Games, he captured two gold medals, a silver and a bronze. He added a gold medal in the Fina Short Course World Championships in Dubai in the 200 metres butterfly.
South African wheelchair tennis players starred in the categories of Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability.
Men’s winner, triple amputee Lucas Sithole is ranked number one in South Africa and is also ranked number 14 in the world for the Quads men’s singles. Women’s winner Kgothatso Montjane occupies 13th place in the world rankings and was unbeaten at the ITF World Team Cup, which was held in Pretoria earlier this year.
The Federation of the Year Award was presented to Swimming South Africa, which claimed the honours ahead of the South African Golf Association and the South African Hockey Association.
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