Ask a group of young South Africans to name their favourite sport and the answers will probably be familiar. Rugby. Football. Cricket. Netball. Athletics. But long before many of these sports dominated South African headlines, communities were playing games that were passed from one generation to the next.
Morabaraba. Diketo. Kgati. Jukskei. These indigenous games are more than just ways to pass the time. They are part of South Africa’s cultural heritage, carrying stories, skills, and traditions that have survived across generations.
Yet for many young South Africans, they remain largely unfamiliar.
Games Passed Down through Generations
Indigenous games were developed within different South African communities and often required little equipment. Morabaraba, for example, is a traditional strategy board game in which players attempt to capture their opponent’s pieces. Diketo involves throwing and catching small stones while completing a sequence of movements. Kgati, a traditional rope game, combines rhythm, co-ordination, and physical skill. Jukskei, meanwhile, has developed into an organised sport with roots in traditional South African recreation.
Each game has its own rules and traditions, but they share an important characteristic: they were passed down through people rather than relying on modern sporting infrastructure. A game could be taught by a parent, grandparent, sibling, or friend. That made playing the game an act of cultural transmission.
More than Child’s Play
It can be easy to dismiss traditional games as simple activities children played before modern technology and organised sport became dominant. But that overlooks their cultural value.
Indigenous games can teach strategic thinking, co-ordination, teamwork, patience, and physical skills. More importantly, they provide a connection to communities and traditions that might otherwise become less visible.
In an increasingly digital world where young people can spend hours interacting through screens, these games offer something different. They require people to gather. To teach one another. To play together. And to pass something on.
A Heritage Worth Preserving
The South African government has supported initiatives aimed at promoting indigenous games, including Indigenous Games Festivals that bring communities together to participate in and celebrate traditional games. These initiatives are important because heritage can disappear when it is no longer practised.
Preserving a game does not necessarily mean keeping it frozen in the past. Instead, it can mean finding new spaces where the tradition can continue.
Schools and universities could play an important role here. A university campus is home to thousands of young people from different parts of South Africa. That creates an opportunity to introduce students to games they may never have encountered growing up. Imagine a university sports day where students compete not only in rugby, football, or netball, but also in Morabaraba, Diketo, and Kgati. It would turn heritage into something students can experience rather than simply read about.
Bringing Old Games into a New Generation
The biggest challenge facing indigenous games may not be a lack of value, but a lack of exposure. Young people cannot preserve traditions they have never encountered. That is why introducing indigenous games into schools, universities, and community sporting programmes could be important.
There is also room for these games to evolve. Social media could be used to teach younger audiences how to play. University societies could organise competitions. Sports journalists could tell the stories behind the games. Even modern tournaments could incorporate indigenous sporting codes alongside more established disciplines.
The goal would not be to replace rugby, football, or cricket. It would be to make space for the games that have always existed alongside them.
Our Games, Our Heritage
South African sporting heritage is not limited to stadiums, trophies, and professional athletes. Sometimes, it is a small board marked with lines. A handful of stones. A rope held between two people. Or a game taught by a grandparent many years ago.
These games carry pieces of South Africa’s cultural history, and if heritage is something that is meant to be passed from one generation to another, perhaps the best way to preserve these games is not simply to remember them. It is to play them.
