Sports minister Gayton McKenzie arrived in the northern areas on Sunday to resounding applause from residents as he unveiled a state-of-the-art multipurpose sports facility.
A crowd of happy teachers, parents, education department officials, sports club representatives and school pupils filled a marquee at Sanctor Primary School where the facility, worth about R1.9m, has been installed.
After the speeches and the ribbon-cutting, the beneficiaries trooped onto the interlocking plastic tile surface, and R70,000 of sports equipment was doled out to a dozen northern areas’ schools and sports clubs.
While they were waiting for the event to start, the crowd sang and danced to gospel songs and a stirring rendition of The Impossible Dream by former Nelson Mandela Bay economic development political head Shuling Lindoor.
McKenzie received a standing ovation from the crowd when he strode in.
He paid tribute to The Sports Trust and Bay mayor Babalwa Lobishe for helping to implement the project and vowed, to much jubilation, that it was just the start of a major turnaround for the long-marginalised coloured communities of the northern areas.
“This is an emotional day for me.
“This is just the beginning. We must keep our kids out of the hands of the gangsters.”
McKenzie then called forward Jamie Seale, 20, who grew up in nearby Palm Ridge and is now playing hockey for the South African national side.
“If Jamie can have done as well as he has without facilities, imagine what a new generation from the northern areas will be able to do with facilities like these that we have put in here.”
McKenzie told Seale he would be donating some of his personal funds to the youngster’s Seale Academy.
Sanctor Primary School governing board chair Enrico Damons welcomed the installation of the new facility as a historic moment, and trust chief executive Anita Mathews shared her excitement.
“Rather than the old concrete surfaces we are used to in our communities, the surface of this facility is made of interlocking plastic tiles which put less pressure on the joints of the player as he or she moves around the court.
“So this is real quality of a kind that you won’t even find at many private schools. But our communities deserve the best.”
She said the multipurpose facility, the 145th of its kind installed in disadvantaged communities around the country, was the size of a volleyball court.
“But it is designed so you can play five different sports — volleyball, netball, basketball, five-a-side soccer and tennis.
“In fact, you can use it for other sports like karate, as well.
“It can also handle wheelchairs, so it is good for abled and disabled players.”
She said it was installed at Sanctor with the understanding that it would be shared with the surrounding community.
“The stakeholders need to sign an agreement regarding this access, and also how it will be taken care of. If it is maintained it will last 20 years.”
The Herald
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