Altus Sport was founded in 1994 and is currently focusing on Sport for Development. It has been deeply involved with developing community structures and is a well-known entity in the areas it works in.

Altus Sport utilizes sport as a tool for community, youth and girl empowerment with the support from strong public and corporate partners.

With quality youth sport leaders our flagship programme, Life’s a Ball, is sustainably running at 43 schools/venues.

About Us

The name, Altus, is derived from the Latin word, Altius, which means “higher”. Our philosophy is to strive morally higher in body, mind and soul

• Was founded in 1994 with the purpose of assisting and establishing sport clubs in the township areas. Soon the focus moved from sport development to sport for development. This opened the field to a much wider target group where there was a dire need and more positive results could be reached
• Aims to develop quality youth sport leaders who will each make a positive difference in someone’s life
• Is recognized and supported by local government authorities such as the Department of Education, Health and Sport, the Tshwane Metro and the Tshwane Sport Council
• Is a member International Network organizations, Sport for Social Change Southern Africa and Streetfootballworld

ALTUS SPORT is a locally registered NGO-NPO based in Pretoria

Altus sport aims to

The Team

Board Members

GERT POTGIETER is a former Olympian, elected SA men’s athlete of the century in 2000, former world record holder and provincial rugby center. In 2007 he was honoured by the South African Hall of Fame. Gert was founder and Director of the first Olympic Academy of South Africa. He wrote several sport coaching publications and lectured internationally. He holds sport and Olympic education in high esteem. He is a qualified and accredited sport facilitator, assessor and moderator at ETDP-SETA.

KGABO MATJANE served on the Women and Sport South Africa Advisory Committee to the Minister of Sport and Recreation, was a Sport Manager at the University of Pretoria and Project Coordinator of the UK/SA Sport Initiative. She acted as Project Manager in the establishment of the first Public Sports School in SA, Rosina Sedibane Sports School of Focus in Ladies. Kgabo is a Director at Sport and Recreation South Africa and a qualified Assessor.

LIANA LAUBSCHER travelled widely internationally concerning sport and recreation including Sessions on the Olympic idea and its values in Olympia, Greece. She is a professional tennis coach and wrote several publications on sport coaching and Olympic Education. Liana was an executive member of the Tshwane Sport Council and currently, a member of Gauteng Coach’s Council She is a qualified sport facilitator, assessor and moderator at ETDP-SETA.

RICHARD was the co-founder and first President of the Gauteng North Sport Council when it was founded in 1992. He was a sport administrator at Robben Island after which he became a pioneer in transforming sport, particularly Rugby, Table Tennis and Athletics in Gauteng North. He initiated the founding of several Local Sport Councils in the townships

JAMES MOKOKA is an IAAF Level 1 coach and Technical official, founder and President of Athletics North West and former Board member of ASA.

He was the Manager and coach of ASA team to several international competitions including Olympic Games, Common Wealth Games and IAAF Championships since 1974.

He was Director of Sport at Medunsa, President of AGN and Mabopane Sport Council Chairperson. He is a Senior Athletic Developer (Technical Officials) for SASCOC and still active in helping schools and clubs in the planning of their athletics training programme.

ENGELA VAN DER KLASHORST is a lecturer at the University of Pretoria, Department Sport and Leisure Studies where she was also an undergraduate as well as post-graduate student.

She has completed her B(Mus) UP; BA(HMS) UP; Sport Science honours (cum laude) UP; BA(Psychology) honours (cum laude) UNISA; MA(HMS) UP and obtained a D(Phil) degree in Specialization Sport and Recreation Management.

Angela has been the project leader for Fun Fit Fridays (an academic community engagement project) as well as for TEAM PLAY for the last 4 years and has a passion for community development.

DR. PEET DU TOIT holds the position of Professor of Neuroscience & Physiology For Workplace Health at Monarch Business School Switzerland. He holds a Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. He also holds a M.Sc. in Microbiology, a B.Sc. Honors Microbiology as well as a B.Sc. in Physiology also from the University of Pretoria. At present, he is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Pretoria.  Prof. Peet du Toit is a leading authority on neuroscience in South Africa. He is deeply passionate about the link between physical and mental well-being.

His fields of research include Neuroscience, Exercise Science, Neuroscience of Leadership and Brain Fitness and Performance. He lectures at the University of Pretoria and hasa a keen interest in the upliftment of all our children.

DR POPPY MASINGA is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Human and Community Development in the Department of Social Work at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.

She was a former lecturer at the University of Pretoria. Dr Poppy is passionate about the well-being of children and she has enriched our programme with her experience and knowledge. 

Staff

GERT POTGIETER – DIRECTOR Although one of the world’s top hurdlers throughout his brief career Gert Potgieter is also remembered as an athlete whose attempts to win an Olympic title were thwarted by ill luck.

Potgieter emerged as a major talent in 1956 and reached the Olympic final whilst still a junior. In contention for the medals coming down the final straight he mistimed his leap at the final hurdle, lost momentum and slipped back to sixth. In the next four years he continued his improvement and, in addition to winning 440 y hurdles and relay gold medals at the 1958 British Empire Games. set three world records at 440 y hurdles.

A potential meeting between Potgieter and a trio of high class Americans led by [Glenn Davis] shaped up to be one of the highlights of the 1960 Olympic track and field programme but it was never to take place. A few weeks before the Games began Potgieter was involved in a serious car crash whilst in Germany.

He lost the use of an eye in the accident and the vision in the other was also damaged. On the day of the 400 m hurdles final he was still recuperating in a Heidelberg hospital. He recovered well enough to compete in the decathlon and won the 1966 South African title in the event but even if he could have resumed his career at the highest level South Africa had by then been barred from the Olympic Games.

Although from the Afrikaner heartland of Pietermaritzburg Potgieter became involved in attempts to desegregate sport in his country and in 1988 helped to found the South African Olympic Academy, a fully non-racial body. In 1995 he founded an organization called Altus Sport, devoted to “spreading knowledge in the true spirit of sport” throughout Africa., Potgieter was voted South Africa’s Athlete of the 20th Century.

LIANA LAUBSCHER – DIRECTOR travelled widely internationally concerning sport and recreation including Sessions on the Olympic idea and its values in Olympia, Greece. She is a professional tennis coach and wrote several publications on sport coaching and Olympic Education.

Currently she is an Executive Member of the Tshwane Sport Council and a member of the Gauteng Coaches Commission. She is a qualified sport facilitator, assessor and moderator at ETDP-SETA.

SAMANTHA PENNELLS – OPERATIONS AND MONITORING & EVALUATION MANAGER has always had a passion for children and working in the outdoors. Not only has she excelled in sports like athletics, netball and cricket but she has also represented South Africa numerous times in Clay Target Shooting from the age of 16 years old.

Through hard work and training she also received Tshwane University’s Sport Woman of the Year in 2009. Samantha has also had aspirations to compete and qualify for the Olympic Games but due to a shoulder injury, that put her back to only doing the sport as a hobby. She also currently holds the South African Ladies Champion.

Samantha is also a qualified ARA Facilitator (Outdoor & Recreation) and has focused a lot of her experience through leadership training, corporate teambuilding’s and workshops around Africa.

ALBERT KGABO (ZI) TEFFO – GENERAL  MANAGER

 He studied Political Leadership and Citizenship and wanted to make a meaningful change in people’s lives. His motto in life is that if you have not helped a soul out of the goodness of your heart and expecting nothing in return, you have not yet lived.

Youth Coaches

Youth Sport Coaches attend monthly training workshops which enable them to run sustainable literacy and sport programmes in primary schools and community sport grounds.

Goal Youth Coaches

Where do we work

Currently, there are 42 Coaches running 60 Programmes in 12 communities across the Tshwane region

For more information about each project, please see the tabs under “Programmes”

Vision, Mission and Values

Vision

Live with integrity to make a positive change in someone’s life

Mission

Through sport, promote personal development, values, physical activity and literacy among youth

Values