ADDRESS BY MEC MNS MANANA DURING THE HAND OVER OF GYM FACILITIES IN
MOOIPLASS; ALBERT LUTHULI MUNICIPALITY
19 FEBRUARY 2011: MOOIPLAAS
Programme Director
Executive Mayor of Chief Albert Luthuli Municipality
Councilors from the Municipality
Invited guest
Community Members
Government Officials
Ladies and Gentleman
Today we gather here to hand over a gymnasium to the community of
Mooiplaas as part of government programme to ensure that
recreational facilities are made available to our communities more
especially the rural communities.
Our programme started in the morning through a Fun Walk offering old
categories of our people, young and old an opportunity to reflex
their muscles and give their bodies the much needed exercise. This
is part of the campaign for healthy life-styles.
The National Department of Sport and Recreation initiated this
project for all provinces in 2008. The aim is to identify
underutilized structures in our communities more especially those
found in rural communities. Mpumalanga is a rural province and lends
itself as ideal for such initiatives.
The focus of the gymnasium is to create access and allow under-priviledged
and previously marginalized citizens an opportunity to exercise in a
conducive environment whilst at the same time promoting healthy
life-styles. The sustainability and contingency of the gymnasium
will be supported through the appointment of volunteers.
We expect the local municipality to own and maintain this gymnasium
and we trust that in your programmes, you will ensure that as you
implement sport and recreation activities this gymnasium will also
benefit.
Programme Director a budget of R700 000 has been utilized for this
infrastructure in order to allow young people, women and the
disabled an opportunity to participate in sport. We hope this
project will also unearth young talents in our community and
consequently produce stars.
We would like to take this opportunity and galvanize all our people
to participate in all sport and recreation programmes that are
implemented by the department. Let me also invite and encourage all
of you to rally behind and support the cricket, rugby and netball
national teams as they participate in the Cricket World Cup, Netball
World Championships and Rugby World Cup. The same support we gave to
Bafana Bafana when we hosted the FIFA World Cup should be given to
these teams.
I Thank You