OCTOBER 2025

WITS SPORTS AWARDS 2025

Harry was presented with Full Blues Summa Cum Laude at the WITS Annual Sports Awards for his continued motivation of those interested in fencing to take their dreams higher and higher and turn them into reality.

OCTOBER 2024

bdfad1_11def9d424f44fd8b5fef3a1fd902099_edited

WITS SPORTS AWARDS 2024

Harry was elected WITS Sportsman of the Year for his qualifying for, and participation in, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, becoming a member of the small group of Witsies who have qualified for the Olympic Games over the years.

OCTOBER 2023

WITS SPORTS AWARDS 2023

Harry received Full-Blues Award Summa Cum Laude for his fencing achievements during the year.

OCTOBER 2022

WITS SPORTS AWARDS 2022

Harry Saner is the Wits Fencing Club’s Captain, and received a Full-Blues Award Summa Cum Laude for his service to fencing.

Ayanda Tuku was voted in as the Fencing Club’s Captain.

OCTOBER 2021

WITS SPORTS AWARDS 2021

Harry Saner became the Wits Fencing

OCTOBER 2020

WITS SPORTS AWARDS 2020

Harry Saner is the Wits Fencing Club’s Vice-Captain, and won the WITS Sportsman of the Year Award at the Annual Sports Awards based on his National and International results.

Ayanda Tuku was awarded the Junior Sportsman of the Year Award. He often spars with Harry and together they bring a lot of experience to those fencers around them.

NOVEMBER 2020

Harry Saner was awarded WITS Sportsman of the Year 2020, eclipsing all other sporting code’s nominees – rugby, soccer, cricket, netball, hockey etc. His achievements in the African Championships with a Bronze medal, ensured that he was selected on great merit by the WITS panel. As Club Captain, Harry has guided the WITS fencers into a well-knit group of enthusiasts. Ayanda Tuku, who was Runner Up WITS Sportsman of the Year in 2020, has now completed his degree but has injured the cruciate ligaments of his knee, slowing his fencing aspirations a lot! He became Wits Club Captain when Harry stepped aside to focus on his Engineering degree.

APRIL 2016

JULIANA BARRETT QUALIFIES FOR 2016 RIO OLYMPICS!

Juliana Barrett has been fencing for many years, steadily working her way into the SA Women’s Epee Team and becoming National Champion too. She trained extra-hard in the months leading up to the Rio Olympics, and in April 2016 she qualified for the Africa Zonal spot by beating all-comers in Algeria in the African Zonal Olympic Qualifications.

Her great excitement, and that of South Africa’s too, turned to disappointment when she was denied her position by SASCOC, who misinterpreted her qualification and prevented her entry into the Rio Olympics. After several years of litigation, a settlement was reached – but nothing can replace the feeling of missing out on the gratification of Olympic participation she could have enjoyed.

Juliana lives in New York and continues to fence occasionally at the club where she once trained for greatness.

DECEMBER 2014

Fencing in Road to Rio Magazine

Continental silver medallist and South African champion fencer Juliana Barrett (right) had a successful London International Open. Based in the United States but studying for three months in London at the time of competition, Barrett came through the ranks to end with a silver medal in the women’s epee division (titled the Milner-Barry Cup). She made no bones about the fact that she was competition rusty. ‘The first round was horrible for me. I was out of practice as I was still adjusting to my new home and schooling in London; I found my mind telling my body stuff it couldn’t do. ‘In the final, my out-of-practice body finally caught up with me and I could barely hold my epee up, which was a bit embarrassing. But second place is nothing to be ashamed of and until that bout, I felt amazing.

JULY 2013

SA Fencers win Medals at African Championships

The South African Senior fencing team won several medals at the African Fencing Championships in Cairo, Egypt.

The medals are:

* Men’s Epee: Bronze
* Men’s Foil: Bronze
* Women’s Epee: Silver
* Women’s Sabre: Bronze

MAY 2013

Fencing in Road to Rio Magazine

The upcoming African Fencing Championship was featured in the latest edition of Sascoc’s Road to Rio magazine.

AUGUST 2012

MARGUERITE LANGTON

Marguerite first won the title of Women’s Veteran Sabre World Champion in 2006. In 2007 she won the silver medal, but was back on top in 2008 and 2009. In 2010 she won bronze.

In 2012 she has won her sixth medal at the Veteran’s World Championships. She was assisted once again by SA Olympic sabre fencer Adele du Plooy.

One of the stalwarts of the Gauteng fencing scene, she has held several positions on the GFA Committee over the years, including Armourer, a position she took seriously and taught many young fencers the importance of knowing how to fix their weapons properly and the difference it can make to their fencing. One point can make the difference between a win and a loss – and you don’t want a faulty weapon being the cause of your loss.

OCTOBER 2011

Marguerite Langton – 6th medal at Veteran’s World Fencing Championships

Congratulations to Marguerite Langton

SEPTEMBER 2009

Jay Wins Sportsman of the Year Award

Jarryd New was awarded the prestigious Cape Peninsular University of Technology (CPUT) ‘Sportsman of the Year’ award. Jay is studying Industrial Design at CPUT, and the long hours and the hard work required to sustain his studies while training, competing locally and traveling to national and international competitions, have paid off.

All in all, it has been a very exciting year, but the greatest honour was receiving the Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s ‘Sportsman of the Year’ award for 2009. The award was made at a glittering dinner, sponsored by Nedbank, at the Cape Sun Hotel. Jay was competing in Turkey at the time of the awards, and his parents received the award on his behalf. Jay only received the good news on returning to Cape Town a few days later.

Along with the trophy and prize money, Jay was awarded a bursary for his studies in 2010.
He would like to thank CPUT Sports Department and Nedbank for their encouragement and support, and his coach, Dr Misha Galhoukin, for many years of training and sound advice.

JUNE 2009

Sello wins his first National Gold

Sello Maduma, Olympic Epee Fencer, who hails from Mamelodi in Gauteng won his first Senior Men’s Epee title at this years Senior National Fencing Championships that took place in Cape Town.

…More News

To view the results of Our junior Fencers in the News following Junior National Fencing Championships in Pretoria in October 2014, click on the links below:

The Herald
– Testing their metal

The Herald
– Girls cut to cut a dash

Die Burger
– Silwer in skerm vir flink Isabella (Silver in fencing for swift Isabella)

Bosveld
– Limpopo se skermspan maak hulle swaardmerk
(Limpopo’s fencing team makes their mark)

Pretoria News
– Fencers in contest for tickets to Olympics.