DEAFinition, a non-profit company that provide a range of services and funding opportunities to promote equal access for the Deaf community of South Africa, recently pledged R20 000 in support of the upcoming annual Deaf Cricket Provincial tournament to be held in Cape Town at the Durbanville Cricket Club and Curro High School Durbanville from Thursday 27th April 2023 until Sunday 30th April 2023.
“Sport unites people and the annual Deaf inter-provincial cricket tournament is a wonderful opportunity to support our talented Deaf cricketers,” says Shubnum Nabbi-Maharaj, DEAFinition Director.
The tournament will be a T20 over format and participating teams include Boland, Western Province, Gauteng, Northerns, Northern Cape and KwaZulu Natal.
“Deaf Cricket South Africa (DCSA) has been in existence for over 20 years and has come a long way in serving Deaf cricket in South Africa. We are affiliated to the South African Deaf Sports Federation and are an Associate member of Cricket South Africa (CSA),” explains Rory Hickson – DCSA Chairperson.
The Deaf Cricket World Cup is scheduled for December 2023 in Qatar and the long-standing selection panel will be present at all tournament matches to select the South African team. Club performances from each player over the season are also taken into consideration during the selection process.
“We have been able to participate in three international matches and tournaments in 2011, 2013 and 2016, and hope to represent SA again in December 2023. Although we receive support from CSA and the SADCA we require further sponsorship in order to participate in the 2023 World Cup,” says Hickson.
If you would like to support the beautiful game of cricket and our proudly South African ambassadors of Deaf Cricket please contact [email protected]
“A number of players representing SADCA have never been on an airplane before, let alone left the country. For them to be called up to receive national colours and then board an aircraft to compete against well know international sides like England, India and Pakistan will surely rank as a highlight that they will cherish for the rest of their lives.”
As our society continues to evolve and with South African Sign Language (SASL) soon to be recognised as the twelfth official language, individuals and corporates are encouraged to learn SASL.
“In line with our ethos of supporting inclusivity and accessibility for the Deaf community, we developed an easily accessible SASL App that is free to download via Google Play and The App Store,” says Nabbi-Maharaj.
The goal of this App is to bridge the communication gap between the Deaf and the hearing by allowing people to simply search for a word on any mobile device that has the free App installed.
In addition, DEAFinition launched an affordable online course offering a basic introduction to SASL. “The training is self-paced, allowing you to work through the content at your leisure. The course is available to purchase from the DEAFinition website www.deafinition.co.za for just R249 and offers lifetime access to the training. This course is aimed at anyone who is interested in learning more about the Deaf community, their culture, and SASL signs to support everyday conversations,” adds Nabbi-Maharaj.
Include and embrace the Deaf community by learning SASL at your own pace and in your own space. For more information about the SASL online course, contact [email protected]
“We’d like to wish all inter-provincial teams the best of luck for the tournament and hope to see our SA squad compete in Qatar at the end of the year amongst the best of the best in international Deaf cricket,” concludes Nabbi-Maharaj.
Photo: Shubnum Nabbi-Maharaj, DEAFinition Director presents Rory Hickson, DCSA Chairperson with a cheque for R20 000,00 in support of the upcoming annual Deaf Cricket Provincial tournament.
Photo credit: Sajida Cassim.
For more information on DEAFinition please visit: www.deafinition.co.za or contact Thembeka Gumede on [email protected] or 087 063 8920.
For more information on the Deaf Cricket IPT please contact DCSA Chairperson: Rory Hickson on [email protected] or 082 567 3971.
