Jacob G Zuma Soccer Tournament

Jacob G Zuma Foundation Soccer Tournament

The Foundation, in partnership with the Motsepe Foundation, hosts the Jacob G Zuma Soccer Tournament (JGZST) which is an annual event and involves Under 19 boys from 10 KZN Districts and 1 Metro. The Tournament dates back to 2009, and was then known as the Msholozi Soccer Tournament. This Tournament is a scouting platform for the underprivileged players as it boasts the attendance of the renowned Sundown’s soccer fraternity moguls.

The founder and Patron HE, President Jacob Zuma, initiated the event in line with his vision of using sport to achieve peace, social cohesion and youth development, especially in the rural areas of South Africa.  

“The idea behind this event is to keep the youth, especially in rural areas engaged in healthy activity while at the same time unearthing the great talent that is hidden in these areas. It is the Foundations’ intention to extend the participation in this tournament to the entire province and eventually the whole country”, President Zuma said, “I am a firm believer in the role of sport in keeping youngsters disciplined. Through this initiative we also hope to develop talent for possible national teams. Ultimately we would like to build sports academies in rural areas.” Said President Zuma.

Each of the District Municipalities holds their own elimination processes to source the team that will represent them at the JGZS Tournament. The teams are then divided into three groups of four teams per group. The tournament is held over two days where they play a point system on the first day, with the top teams going on to play in the semi-final the following day. Talent identification scouts from the professional clubs are invited on both days to run their eye over the available talent.