01 November 2024
Sports have always been regarded as a means of unifying all South Africans. We first saw how unifying sports can be in 1995 with the Rugby World Cup in South Africa, when Madiba walked out on the field in the Number 6 jersey of the Springbok Captain, François Pienaar. The same happened when when Bafana bafana won the Africa Cup of Nations under Coach Clive Barker in1996.
Nelson Mandela famously said, "Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does".
Sport is about opportunity. An opportunity to express yourself creatively in the field of play, an opportunity to socialize and improve on social skills through meeting and playing with other young people, and it teaches discipline, which everyone needs to achieve goals in life. What is even more interesting is that sport creates career opportunities.
We all know somebody somewhere, who is making a very successful living through sport, not only by playing, as there are various opportunities in sport including administration, coaching, medical, commentary etc., We aim to create a culture where sport becomes a catalyst for personal growth, community development, and lifelong connections.
We congratulate all the young people from all the participating municipalities under uMgungundlovu District Municipality for being part of this year's uMgungundlovu District Municipality Mayoral Games. Just by being participants, you have already won. Enjoy the games.