KZN MEC for Arts, Culture, Sport and Recreation, Mrs Ntombikayise Sibhidla-Saphetha and the Mayor of eThekwini Cllr James Nxumalo welcome Michael Zondi at the Blue Lagoon finish line.
The Department of Sport and Recreation prides itself for supporting development paddlers who participated in the Unlimited Dusi Marathon at the weekend. Most of these young paddlers form part of the team that has been supported by department over the past few years.
In a bid to attract more youth from disadvantaged background into the sport, the Department of Sport and Recreation has entered into a four-year deal with the Natal Canoe Club (NCC) to fund development. This year alone, the department injected over R1 million to the sport to support all development paddlers who are working hard to establish themselves in canoeing.
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Arts, Culture, Sport and Recreation, Ntombikayise Sibhidla-Saphetha said the province was passionate about opening doors to the race for paddlers from disadvantaged background.
“For many years, canoeing has been regarded as an elite sport, with the majority of the people of this country lacking passion and knowledge of its rules, simply because it was associated with a particular race," said Sibhidla-Saphetha.
“With the type of investment we are making into the sport, we want to encourage everyone, particularly from the previously disadvantaged background to be part of this exciting sport.
“Credit must go the Natal Canoe Club for ensuring that canoeing is accessible to all. We have seen paddlers such as Thulani Mbanjwa and Sibonelo Zondi joining the ranks of top paddlers in The Unlimited Dusi Canoe Marathon.
“Apart from promoting social cohesion, this sport is proving to be an important instrument to effect behavioural change to young people as it encourages a healthy lifestyle,” she concluded.
In addition, the Department of Sport sponsored 10 paddlers and supplied them with Dusi-style boats, paddles, clothing, and camping equipment.
Japhta Elephant, a development paddler praised the department for the investment it has made to support upcoming paddlers, adding that he was optimistic that more development paddlers will dominate the race in the near future.
“It's a substantial contribution that the department has made in ensuring that Dusi is run in a professional manner and that there is no compromise as far as the development paddlers are concerned,” said Brett Austen Smith, general manager of the NCC.
The Department of Sport sponsorship also includes the formation of an NCC Academy. “The Development Team will be the core that will help us run the academy,” explained Austen Smith.
