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 lifestyles.
The national Department of Sport and Recreation initiated this project for all provinces in 2008. The aim is to identify underutilised 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 privileged and previously marginalised citizens an opportunity to exercise in a conducive environment whilst at the same time promoting healthy lifestyles. 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 utilised 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 galvanise 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
Source: Mpumalanga Provincial Government
