FREE DAILY EMAIL

Date : 13/10/2006
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government
Title: Creecy: Central Gauteng Athletics Sports Awards


Speech by the Gauteng MEC of Sport, Art, Culture and Recreation, Ms Barbara Creecy, at the Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) Sports awards, 46 Impala Road, Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve Johannesburg

Thank you Programme Director
Mrs Snowy Matthews - President of CGA
Dr Harold Adams - President of Boland Athletics of Athletics South Africa (ASA)
Cllr Isaac Bangililzwe - Member of the Mayoral
Committee (MMC) Sport Ekurhuleni Metro standing in for the Mayor of Ekurhuleni,
Councillor Duma Nkosi
Cllr Nandi Mayathula - Khoza Joburg Sport standing in for the Mayor of Johannesburg, Councillor Amos Masondo
Mr Chris Britz - President Athletics Gauteng North
Mr Pierre Pretorius - President (Athletcis VaalTriangle)
Mr Attle Mponyane - from Limpopo
Mr Ivor Hoff - Chief Director of Sport and Recreation (Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts and Recreation)
Representatives from the sponsors
Distinguished sportspeople
Distinguished guests
The media
Award nominees
Ladies and gentlemen

On behalf of the Gauteng Provincial Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, I would like to express my fervent greetings to you all. It is indeed an honour to be afforded this opportunity to address this year's edition of the Central Gauteng Athletics Awards.

Any nation's health and status is measured by the extent of its sporting activities and achievements. To get a better view of a community, any community, one needs only look at the kinds of sport and the extent of the sporting activity each community is renowned for.

Sport continues to play a central role and will continue to contribute massively to the sustainable development of our communities thereby entrenching social cohesion. There is therefore no doubt that sport is a model by which we are able to measure our societies.

The Department is currently managing 32 activity hubs which are located within reach of our communities where they live. We are on course towards achieving our target of establishing 50 activity hubs by the end of the political term in 2009. We are happy that the private sector organisations have partnered with the sports fraternity in awarding these accolades to deserving South Africans in our province. These joint ventures just confirm the critical link between the health of a nation and the success in the arenas of sports.

In a very short space of time since our re-entry into international sports, our province and country has distinguished itself beyond any doubt and defied all belief as they collected medal after medal, winning championships even in sports codes that were considered as other countries' domains.

Our triumphs both locally and abroad have been the work of the sportsmen and women that we honour today. We are not only indebted to them, but are very proud of what they have achieved for themselves, our province and South Africa.

We want to reassure all the nominees that by virtue of their nomination, they have already scored high in the country's scoreboard and a win today can only add to the extra-ordinary sense of achievement that all of us feel today.

Just as sports teaches us how to win and how to accept defeat, sport in Gauteng has been particularly adept at breaking down racial, social and gender barriers, becoming a potent force in the creation of a united non-racial society in which citizens are able to lead healthy and sustainable lifestyles. It is without doubt that the sportspersons we honour today will continue to shine for it is through their achievements that we continue to promote Gauteng as a home of champions and a preferred venue for all major and professional sporting events in South Africa.

A landmark achievement for the Department was the adoption of the Competitive Sport Strategy in 2005 whose primary objective is to attract major sporting and cultural events to the province. Through the hosting of competitive major events, it is envisaged to attract potential visitors resulting in economic spin offs particularly in the hospitality and tourism sectors. The strategy is therefore instrumental in meeting the Gauteng Development Strategy forecasts that sport, cultural affairs, Information Technology (IT) and smart commodities have the potential to generate approximately 26% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the province.

An important feature of the strategy is its ability to serve as a unifying factor where Provincial and Local Government, sport federations, promoters and sponsors share a common vision in building Gauteng as a preferred destination for cutthroat sport. As the Competitive Sport Strategy will be rolled out during the 2006/07 financial year, R10 million has been allocated for its implementation.

In recognition of the importance of representation in all national teams, the province is financially supporting budding athletes to realise their full academic and sporting potential. Priority sporting codes are soccer, rugby, netball, cricket, athletics, swimming and boxing. An important aspect of the programme is the training of at least 15 athletes annually to take part in the National Academy for participation in the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and other national and international games. R5,6 million has been allocated towards the development of budding athletes programme during the 2006/07 financial year.

Feeding into the High Performance Programme are the Masakhane games held in partnership with the Local Government, sport federations and sport fora with objectives of identifying and developing talent as well as enhancing the skills of coaches, technical officials and administrators.

Integral to the High Performance Sport Programme is the Gauteng Sport Academy to be established during this financial year. Discussions are expected to be concluded between the South African Sport Confederation and Olympic Commission (SASCOC) and the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation.

Furthermore, the Gauteng province is delivering its goal of nurturing and investing in young talent as it has established partnerships with five tertiary institutions and their high performance sport centres. To date, one hundred and ten (110) sports development bursaries have been awarded to students.

There are noticeable achievements, as the High Performance Academy Programme has produced victorious athletes both at the national and international levels. Gauteng province notes with pride that:
* in swimming, Thabang Moeketsane won silver medals at the Junior Commonwealth Games and Suzann van Biljon got a Bronze for the 200m breast stroke at the Commonwealth games held in Melbourne Australia in March 2006
* in netball, Tskane Mbewe has been selected to the national under 21 netball team and Tuli Queka played for Thunder Birds and for Zone 6 Games in Namibia in December 2005
* in boxing, Jackson Chauke emerged as a Silver Medallist in the Fly Weight division whilst Bongani Mwelase scooped a Gold Medal in the Welter Weight category at the Commonwealth games held in Melbourne, Australia in March 2006
*in rugby, Malungisa Nkosi was selected to the South African (SA) under 19 World Cup squad.

It is therefore important to acknowledge the hard work and commitment that drives the CGA because for them to be able to invite us today to witness the recognition of the achievements and talents of their athletes proves to us that what we are witnessing today is a final product that has been preceded by various interventions and programmes.

I therefore believe that the athletes who will be honoured today will take up their ambassadorial-like responsibility as role models to further market sport, recreation and healthy lifestyles to both the young and old citizens of our province.

The Gauteng province extends its sincere congratulations to all the athletes that are raising the province both nationally and internationally.

I hope I will be expressing a shared view by all of us as government, federations, sponsors and other sport stakeholders in imploring you to ensure that you remain clean winners and refuse the temptation to use drugs. Winners do not indulge in performance enhancing substances such as drugs, they win because of the hard work and passion they put in whatever they do, which is a sure route to success.

On behalf of the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, the province and its people, I would like to congratulate all the winners, the organisers, the sponsors and all those who made this event a night to remember. I thank you.

Issued by: Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Gauteng Provincial Government
13 October 2006

SPONSORED BY

Advanced