KaziKidz Book (Grade 4-7): Teaching Material for Physical and Health Education Resources for Intermediate/Senior Phase Teachers supported by UNESCO - South African Edition

Description

Series information (English)

Foreword by Siya Kolisi:

Growing up in Zwide, I saw early on how opportunity can shape the direction of a person’s life. As a child, I remember how we played. We made games out of whatever we had. Bricks became cars, and after school I would be in the dusty streets with my friends, kicking and chasing a rugby ball. In those moments, I was just playing. I didn’t think I was learning anything. But when I look back now, I can see how much those moments were shaping me. When I received a scholarship to Grey, it opened up a different kind of environment for me. I remember arriving at the school and being teased that my ears, hands and feet were bigger than the rest of my body. The truth is, I was not properly nourished.

That year, things began to change. I started eating properly. I grew into my body. I had support, structure, and people who guided me. My rugby improved, but more than that, I started to believe in myself in a new way. And my teammates, and even my opponents, began to notice. That experience stayed with me. It showed me what can happen when a child’s potential is supported in the right way. And that’s the reality for so many children across our country today. The talent is there. The energy is there. The desire to move, to play, to grow is already inside them. What is often missing is the support, the guidance, and the opportunity.

Through the Kolisi Foundation, we’ve seen how important it is to create environments where children are not only active, but are supported to grow in confidence, discipline, and a sense of purpose. Physical Education is not just about sport. It is about shaping people. It is about giving young people tools they can carry with them for life. What I appreciate about the KaziBantu and KaziKidz approach is that it understands this. It focuses not only on activity, but on equipping teachers, supporting schools, and strengthening the systems that reach children every day, especially in communities where resources are limited.

As I reflect on my own journey, I don’t want my story to be the example we point to. I don’t want it to be normal that a child has to leave their environment to access the support, nutrition, and opportunities they need to grow. We should be building systems that take those opportunities to where children are, in the schools and communities they come from. Because the potential is already there. For me, this is personal. I know what it means when one opportunity can change the direction of your life. But I also believe we can do better than leaving that to chance.

My hope is that this KaziBantu resource will help teachers, schools, and communities create those opportunities every day. Spaces where children can move, grow, and discover what they are capable of, right where they are. Because when we get that right, we are not just developing better athletes. We are shaping stronger, more confident, and more hopeful generations.

Siya Kolisi,
Springbok Captain, 2-time World Champion

Technical info (English)

This research project was carried out under the auspices of the UNESCO Chair on ‘Physical Activity and Health in Educational Settings' (https://unesco-chair.dsbg.unibas.ch/en/) with Prof. em. Dr. Uwe Pühse as UNESCO Chair Holder and Prof. em. Dr. Cheryl Walter as UNESCO Co-Chair Holder and is endorsed by UNESCO Switzerland and UNESCO South Africa.

© 2026 by the authors (KaziKidz team). 2026 Edition. Published as resource type: ‘Book’ on Zenodo. Publisher: Zenodo, Mandela University Press and African Sun Media Partner (ASMP). The Woodmill (Head Office) Office 5, Vredenburg Rd, Devonvallei, 7600 Stellenbosch, South Africa. Languages: English.

License: University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland, and Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, South Africa. In collaboration with a research team from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland.

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International; © 2026 KaziBantu, University of Basel (Basel, Switzerland) and Nelson Mandela University (Gqeberha, South Africa).

Design and illustrations: Rooftop, Gqeberha, South Africa (formerly known as Port Elizabeth).

Photo credit of the title page: KaziBantu team, Nelson Mandela University and University of Basel, February 2026, and Rooftop, Gqeberha, South Africa.

Note to the team of authors: Prof. em. Dr. Cheryl Walter (Principal Investigator, South Africa) and Prof. em. Dr. Uwe Pühse (Principal Investigator, Switzerland) share senior authorship position.

Funding: Novartis Foundation (Switzerland) and University of Basel (Switzerland).

Correspondence to:
Dr. Ivan Müller: ivan.mueller@unibas.ch or to Dr. Danielle Dolley: danielle.dolley@mandela.ac.za