SA has an unusual champion. Melikaya Nonyukela, a member of the United National Transport Union (Untu) who represented the country in the World Draughts Championship in the US, made us proud by ending third. Nonyukela said he would have loved to have won but knew it was his first time participating on an international level and is therefore very proud of his achievement. Nonyukela is a shore crane operator at Transnet’s Port of Ngqura, 20km northeast of Port Elizabeth. He says his uncle and grandfather taught him how to play draughts when he was a small child growing up in Peddie, Eastern Cape. Untu general secretary Steve Harris said the union had supported Nonyukela throughout the championship and was very proud of him. "We know that he will bring the trophy back to SA in 2019." Draughts, also known as checkers, is a strategy board game for two players that involves diagonal moves of uniform game pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over opponent pieces. It is played on a stan...

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