South Africa today, like the rest of the world is facing a variety of challenges around obesity, cardiac disease, diabetes, respiratory ailments, an ageing population, an increase in sedentary lifestyles and therefore loss of personal interaction and fitness.

Obesity has globally been ranked 5th as a risk factor for early death and years of life lived with disability or Disability Adjusted Life years (DALYS). In fact, global research highlights that by 2030, in the absence of intervention intended to address the impact of obesity (and related ailments emanating from lack of or declining physical activity) on the health of global citizens, 50% of global citizens will be obese. Here at home, South Africa is already sitting with 3% of South African women over the age of 15 as being obese whilst 42% of urban women obese.

It is against this framework that the need to get an active citizenry campaign going to drive the South African population to increasingly embrace an active recreation healthy lifestyle has become mandatory. The South African cabinet, on the 12th December 2014, declared the first Friday of each October month an Annual Recreation Day. Affirming, the role of the department in advancing a program to respond to the cabinet’s call,

Minister of Sport and Recreation, Fikile Mbalula said, “ Our National Sport & Recreation Plan’s Active Nation Pillar has as a strategic objective the need to improve health and well-being of the South African nation by providing mass opportunities through active recreation.

Such a strategic objective thus is realisable through National Recreation Day as this platform provides an opportunity to all South Africans to actively be involved through participation in recreational activities that will improve their health and well-being. This day and our strategic response to implementing it wholly as a department also enables us to realise our Vision 2030 as outlined in the Sport and Recreation White Paper, which is to see at least 50% of South Africans participating in active recreation.”

On the 7th of October 2016, the National Department of Sport and Recreation will be hosting, for the second year running, the National Recreation Day at Tshwane’s Lucas Van Den Berg Stadium (Danville Sports Complex). This year’s program boasts a multi-segmented schedule of Active Recreational Activities targeted at the Elderly, Adults as well as Kiddies who can choose from a bouquet of entertaining recreational activities for the whole day.

To register for free participation on this day at this event, citizens need to visit www.srsa.gov.za or make sure that they arrive well before 8AM on Friday morning to register on site.

We call on the public and private sector to develop National Recreation Day’s schedule of activities for their employees and in turn provide time for their respective employees to participate in such Active Recreational activities as scheduled to take place in and around their work of place on the 7th of October 21016 nation-wide.

Details of the events are as follows:
Date:     07 October 2016
Time:    07h30
Venue:  Tshwane’s Lucas Van Den Berg Stadium (Danville Sports Complex), Pretoria

Enquiries: Nnaniki Malesa 071 350 9125
nnaniki@srsa.gov.za #Ichoose2BActive

Esethu Hasane Media and Liaison Officer - Ministry Department of Sport and Recreation South Africa
Cell: 071 259 2422