Programme director
The Executive Mayor of Sekhukhune District Municipality, Councillor MD Magabe,
The Mayors of Fetakgomo Local Municipality, Councillor MC Marota
Esteemed Councillors here present
The Senior Manager of the Portfolio on Sport at the Transnet
Foundation, Mr M Moloto
Management and officials of the Department of Sport, Arts and
Culture
Participants in the games Ladies and gentlemen
All protocol observed.
It is the month of August. It is the month in which we commemorate the courageous deeds of the women who, through their actions; their tenacity and passion for positive change in their lives, shaped the history of this country.
We once again commemorate the heroic deeds of Charlotte Maxeke, Lillian Ngoyi, Ida Mtwana, Ray Alexander, Helen Joseph, Sophie du Bruyn, Bertha Gxowa, Amina Cachalia, Albertina Sisulu, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and many more.
They, together with thousands of their sisters, defied a regime and stood up for the rights and the dignity of all South African women on 9 August 2009, when they marched to the Union Buildings to boldly declare that they will no longer live within the bonds of oppression.
Indeed this weekend’s activities are not reserved for women alone.
However, we cannot stand here today as free men and women without paying homage to those historic figures who played a major role in the creation of a free society and the South Africa we know today.
Programme director,
We can only imagine then how saddened these heroines of the struggle - our mothers and grandmothers - would have been if they could see today’s growing number of teenage pregnancies, the scourge of HIV and AIDS, an increased crime rate and alcohol and drug abuse, that seem to be holding our youth in a steely grip. These ills of society, brought on by abject poverty, an inactive lifestyle and the decay of moral fibre, are indeed a reason for serious concern.
However programme director, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It has been proven time and again that sport remains a unifying factor and a proven way to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It is therefore clear that an active nation can only benefit our province and our country’s socio-economic outlook.
It is purportedly with this vision of an active, winning nation that the Transnet Foundation has embarked upon the advancement of our people in the nodal points of development in South Africa. Sekhukhune being one of the nodal points, the foundation is making its mark in all avenues of support to the youth and to emerging sporting talent, which is abundant in this province.
Apart from sponsoring this type of tournament and their generous sponsorships of sporting apparel, the Transnet Foundation also awards bursaries to promising young athletes, like Tshepo Makgeru, who has already benefitted from this programme. Soon, this honour will befall more young men and women from Sekhukhune, as the Foundation continues to scout for talent at tournaments such as this one. We hail this spirit of social responsibility that has been shown by the Transnet Foundation and we are confident that they will walk many more miles with the department in our common goal to create the future champions of sport in South
Africa.
In the same breath, programme director, we encourage other corporate entities to come forward with this kind of support. We acknowledge that we currently find ourselves in a very challenging financial situation in the global economic downturn. However, it is incumbent upon every one of us to ensure that positive change is brought about and that the new enemy of poverty is fought to the end.
Indeed our children need to be encouraged to get off the couch and onto the playing field. If an athlete does not excel in a sporting code, they should still be persuaded to partake for the fun and the health benefits that come with an active lifestyle. President Jacob Zuma, in his State of the Nation address, also spoke of the unifying power of sport and indeed, the short history of the new democratic dispensation has many examples to confirm his statement.
Our national sports teams have, one more than one occasion emerged victorious in respective tournaments and united a nation in their celebrations.
Programme director,
Development remains a priority for the ANC-led government and we will continue to ensure that the youth are well aware of the value and significance they can bring to the renewed fight against poverty. We will therefore continue to include them in all our activities and we will continue to explore all the avenues of teaching them life skills and the importance of living a healthy and productive lifestyle. We will continue to create opportunities for them to participate in all activities, irrespective of their abilities.
We will continue to include and empower women and girls from a young age, in all avenues of sport including participation, administration and management. We will not rest, until we have corrected the imbalances of the past and have achieved the true emancipation of women.
In closure, we once again wish to thank the sponsors and all the spheres of government, who have proven once more during this tournament that together, we can do more!
We also wish to congratulate the participants in this tournament, who have excelled and thank everyone for their enthusiastic participation.
I am confident that, among you, there are bright future stars who will pave the way for Limpopo to once again be recorded in the history books as a province that has delivered champion after champion.
Please keep on playing!
I thank you!
Source: Limpopo Department of Sport, Arts and Culture
Province
