Busy Bees still stinging 100 years on
Busy Bees RFC is still keeping its rugby home hot and vibrant, 100 years into its existence.
The oldest black rugby club to be established in the Western Cape was formed in 1923 in District 6.
Government laws of the time forced the club’s move to Langa in 1937.
Despite the challenges facing club rugby in the lower leagues, Busy Bees has managed to survive this long as they made working closely with schools in their surrounding areas their main focus.
Director of rugby, Msutu Kewana says the club’s youth development is a key part of their survival and managing to remain relevant all these years.
Langa High school, the first high school in the area, was the first school to have a working relationship with Busy Bees and that set the tone for their involvement in school rugby.
“The feeling is at an all-time high because this is the club of our grandfathers.
“From District 6 to Langa, the first black rugby club in the Western Cape that is still surviving today.
“We are focused a lot on youth development and we work a lot with schools in our areas, for example, Langa High is our first high school in Langa and they had a principal who played with Busy Bees.
“From there when I got involved with the club, we not only focused on high schools but started working with primary schools also,” said Kewana.
He says the idea behind focusing on pupils is to make sure they grow within the club with its values.
“We wanted our players to start from as young as nine years and continue graduating in the ranks of the club until the senior teams. That is where the club focused and is able to maintain its existence till now.”
Busy Bees’ record speaks for itself when it comes to producing players for competitions such as Craven week, Springboks, and Western Province women players.
At the weekend the Bees invited other local clubs to a full day of rugby matches to celebrate their 100 years of existence while paying tribute to club heroes that paved the way for them.
“We want to continue to keep our home vibrant.
“I feel happy that other clubs are now following in our footsteps when it comes to accommodating school kids in the club system. Young kids must not lack something to do after school while rugby is around,” said Kewana.
Busy Bees will this season be playing their rugby in the Super League C division.
