Mitchells Plain born-artist Maxwell Southgate, notably known as MAK10NE, in collaboration with another local mural artist Dfeat Once have created an artwork that pays homage to the local netball community.
The 12,5m x 4m painting provides the perfect backdrop to the recently refurbished netball courts at the City facility in Mitchells Plain.
Adorned in the colours of the Netball World Cup 2023, the artwork wraps the wall of the netball facility with imagery showcasing netball, Cape Town and women upliftment.
This is the second mural for Mitchells Plain and the eighth in the series of Netball World Cup legacy murals that the City is unveiling ahead of the quadrennial tournament in July.
Similar paintings have already been unveiled in Langa, Khayelitsha, Strand, Bellville South, Mitchells Plain’s Portlands Indoor Centre and Atlantis.
‘We are less than 200 days away from the first match of the first Netball World Cup on African soil, and it is important for the City of Cape Town to play its role in ensuring that we get as many people involved in the spirit of this international showpiece. These murals are more than just beautifying these public spaces but they are a reminder that we are capable of contending with the best in the world and also serve as inspiration for young netball players who aspire to compete at that level.’
‘It is also fitting that we are bringing the Netball World Cup spirit to the Stephen Reagan Sport Complex because this is the home of the Mitchells Plain Netball Union and the facility hosts clubs from the largest sub-district in the Cape. The players who call this place home are the intended beneficiaries of the Netball World Cup and we hope this can inspire them,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security Alderman JP Smith.
The mural is just the latest addition to the Stephen Reagan Sport Complex netball facilities, which have undergone extensive upgrades over the last three years.
These include the installation of prefab ablutions and change rooms in a joint project between the City’s Recreation and Parks Department and the Western Cape Provincial Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport.
‘We are grateful to be able to support these important facilities that will create opportunities for Netball as a sport and to the many players in the community. We support these mural initiatives to increase awareness in the lead up to a great sporting event,’ said Councillor Patricia van der Ross, Mayoral Committee Member for Community Service and Health.
In the last financial year, the Recreation and Parks Department also completed a R1,8 million upgrade to the four courts with Fibre-Flex playing surface.
To ensure that the netball players enjoyed extended hours of play for the popular courts, the department also installed floodlights making it possible to play at night.
