‘Slam-dunk’ as Basketball on the rise in Cape Winelands

The Shaq Squad have rekindled the spirit of basketball in the Winelands. The team more formally known as Mbekweni Basketball Club under the leadership of Lindile Sizani are the drivers behind empowering community basketball and plans to establish a Winelands League where up to six teams are expected to participate. 

Lindile who has coached boys and girls teams playing competitively in the Western Cape for the past several years received news about a year ago from Cape Town Basketball Association (CTBA) that Mbekweni Basketball Club could no longer participate in the CTBA league because the club falls outside of the City boundaries. This was a major setback for the Shaq Squad especially for the young talent coming through their ranks.

On top of receiving this news, infrastructure deterioration in the form of rims and backboards falling off due to a lack of maintenance and external factors piled onto the setbacks, this added to the pressure of keeping players invested in the sport. However, on 17 March 2026, Mbekweni Basketball Club received a private donation that was invested in reinstating all four baskets of both courts. It is reported that Drakenstein Municipality repaired the lights around the court and that of the adjacent field in the same timeline which restored hope amongst both basketball and netball players in the community. 

Lindile shared that the Shaq Squad is extremely grateful for the upgrades toward the facility and invites Western Cape clubs to visit the court with the hope of hosting some serious competitions in the near future. Together with the continued support from Foxen of Wellington and other trusted funding partners, goals are set to make further improvements to the court facility. Lindile says, “The club is hoping to make the Mbekweni Courts ‘a bona fide’ local attraction. Even the CTBA teams are expected to make their way to the revitalized Shaq Squad home.”

The latest developments and continued hard work from community leaders and partners in basketball strikes up a sense of hope in the community of Cape Winelands. Citizens who wish to get involved in the sport can contact Lindile sizanilindile13@gmail.com or Tim Foxen twfoxen@gmail.com.