Vale Tournament 2025: A triumph of passion, perseverance and purpose

The Citizen

18-05-2025

After months of planning, sleepless nights, postponements, and going back to the drawing board, the Vale Tournament 2025 (TVT) was finally a dream realised.
Initially meant to take place last year at Ellis Park Arena, the tournament was moved to the Walter Sisulu Hall, where it was held from April 23 to 27, hosted by the Edenvale Lions Basketball Academy (ELBA).
'Good things, they say, take time. It was supposed to happen in 2024, but due to financial constraints and a lack of sponsorship, it didn't go ahead.
'However, we pushed forward in 2025, even though we still didn't have enough sponsorship. Sponsors came on board, but most of them offered products rather than monetary donations,' explained co-founder and head coach of Elba, Edson Makavan.
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'We pushed on, and as you can see, the tournament was well-executed, and it ran smoothly. We had Made By Ball Basketball Club (MBB), which was the winner from South Africa.
'The second-place team was Brave Hearts from Malawi, and third place went to Super Elite, also from South Africa.
'It was a well-balanced outcome, as if the universe had arranged it perfectly—two South African teams at the top, followed by one from Africa,' he added.
MBB walked away with R325 000, Brave Hearts received R100 000, and Super Elite secured R25 000.
Birthed from a vision deeply rooted in family values and community development, this tournament was more than just a series of games; it was the realisation of a dream.
'The organisation of such a tournament has always been in our plans. It's part of our programme.
When Elba was established, we were founded on a family-based system where we run basketball with family fundamentals and values.
'One of our goals has always been to have international tournaments and leagues, and TVT, which stands for the Vale Tournament, was born from that vision.'
Despite the numerous setbacks, mainly financial, the tournament ran successfully, with support from sponsors such as Vodacom, Super Quick Edenvale, Build It Edenvale, Brand South Africa, Spar, Aquelle, Energade, and Sportsman Warehouse.
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Makavan stated that the coverage by SABC brought national attention to a sport still fighting for recognition in the country.
Organising a tournament of this scale without major funding was no easy feat.
'There's a difference between a chancer and a lover. When you love something, everything falls into place. But when you're just taking a chance, things tend to fall apart,' said Makavan.
'We're doing this tournament because we are basketball lovers. We love the sport. We want to grow it. We're doing what we love. You know, when you do something you love, it's not a challenge,' he added.
The key takeaway for future tournaments is clear: solid financial backing from the outset will make a significant difference.
'We've already started planning for 2026 and engaging sponsors for stronger financial partnerships. This year laid the foundation. Next year, we'll build something even bigger.'
Makavan expressed gratitude to the sponsors and supporters who remained loyal through the challenges. 'They saw the vision.
'They believed in us, even with the delays. We're building something here, and their patience and faith mean the world to us.'
While there was support from basketball organisations such as the Ekurhuleni Basketball Association, Basketball South Africa, and other provincial bodies, Makavan admitted that the broader basketball community could do more. 'You always get keyboard warriors, people who criticise from the sidelines but do nothing themselves.
'That's not our focus. We're here to build. Criticism only fuels us to do better.'
Elba didn't make it past the first round of the tournament, which was initially set to offer R1 million but had to be reduced to R500 000.
'We were outplayed. The Malawian team, Brave Hearts, showed hunger and dedication.
'My players needed to see that level of commitment. I told them the truth, even if it stung. You can't improve if you're in denial.'
His message was simple: South African basketball players need to train harder, extra hard, to compete internationally.
'These guys from Malawi, they live basketball. They sleep basketball. They breathe it. We need that same level of drive.'
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What's next for South African basketball?
'We need proper structures. We need to remove politics from sport and place basketball lovers and experts in charge, not politicians.
'We also need more investment in facilities. I've been investing my own money in this academy. If a sponsor came forward and said, 'Let's build an international-standard court,' I'd hand them the plans today.'
He said, 'Next year, we're coming back stronger, bigger, and better. We've planted the seed; now we grow.'
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