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Schools sports project launched

Ramatsiyi Moholoa

Ramatsiyi Moholoa

Gauteng MEC of sports, arts, culture and recreation, Barbara Creecy will unveil a new sports programme for schools in Mabopane today.

Known as the "School Sport Mass Participation Programme", the launch will take place at Odi Stadium, starting at 10am.

Nomazwe Ntlokwana, the department's communications director, said the programme was to encourage school children to take part in competitive sports.

"The programme that we will launch in Mabopane is part of many interventions geared towards developing sports at grassroots level," Ntlokwana said.

"It will benefit all the school children in Gauteng. We won't be able to produce quality sportswomen and men to represent South Africa if we ignore school sport.

"The programme will also help facilitate participation in sport and recreation activities within disadvantaged schools.

"It will focus on high crime areas, farm and rural areas, by providing for sporting codes that include soccer, rugby, athletics, cricket and basketball."

Simon Ngobeni, a former Transnet Football School general manager, said the initiative by the Gauteng provincial government was highly appreciated.

"We all know that Wednesdays were known as sports days in black residential areas from Soweto, Soshanguve, Mdantsane, Umlazi, Rocklands and many other areas. As part of the 2010 World Cup legacy projects, it will be great if all the nine provinces were to introduce a similar programme," said Ngobeni.

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