The MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture Desery Fienies, the MEC for Education Zolile Monakale and the Speaker of the Namakwa District Municipality Gillian Peter's is seen with learners and educators from Steinkopf High School receiving sport equipment. Picture:Supplied
AS PART of the Northern Cape Ministerial Outreach Programme and to encourage a healthy lifestyle amongst the youth, the MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, Desery Fienies, together with the MEC for Education, Zolile Monakali, handed over sporting equipment to 11 schools in the Province.
The spokesperson for the provincial Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, Conrad Fortune, said the handover aims to enhance school sport by providing sports attire and equipment to the Province’s future sports stars.
“School sport is an integral part of sport development and personal growth as it provides young people with different pathways for personal growth during and after the school-going period. This can only be achieved by reviving and bringing back life into school sport,” said Fortune.
“The programme is also part of our drive to ensure that schools have the necessary equipment and resources in order to grant equal opportunities to our communities. As a department, it remains our objective to unlock all the barriers that are affecting our schools. The government mandate is very clear, as we need to ensure that by 2030 the majority of South Africans are physically active.
“We further need to ensure that we minimise the current stigma of non-communicable diseases and there is no better place to start than the youth. Our #Ichoose2BActive campaign is that instrument that we use to ensure that all South Africans get physically active.”
Fortune added that ensuring that children are actively involved in sport might spur the youth to pursue a career in sport.
“We need to ensure that we also produce athletes that will play a role in ensuring that there is transformation in sport and the best way to do that is to encourage and nurture talent and further support our youth who are currently involved in various sporting codes.”
He said that the handover also presented an opportunity for Monakali to motivate Grade 12 learners for the upcoming National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations.
Fortune noted that two schools still need to receive their sporting equipment.
“The schools that received equipment thus far are SA van Wyk and Steinkopf High School in Namakwa, Carlton van Heerden and Paballelo High School in Upington, Ikekeletso High School, Rekgaratile High School and Wrenchville High School In Kuruman, Tetlanyo High School in Kimberley and Barkly West High School ... The only schools who must still receive their equipment are UMSO High School in Colesberg and Monwabisi High School in De Aar,” he said.