Persons with disabilities show their ability and strength in a football match in Tsakani
West Rand beat Ekurhuleni on penalties in the finals.
Tsakani – The final football match between West Rand Region and hosts, the Ekurhuleni Region, was nothing short of fun as the lads blew out a full stadium during the Gauteng Provincial Disability Games in Tsakani last Wednesday.
West Rand Region walked away with the golden prize after thrashing the hosts 5-4 during a sudden-death penalty shoot-out.
One participant and football player for the local team Juventus, Ethan Arendse, who represented Ekurhuleni said to succeed in any sporting activity as a person with a disability you need to be committed and have discipline.
“Without commitment and discipline, you will go nowhere,” said Arendse, a learner at Isipho Sethu Special School based in Vosloorus who suffers from intellectual difficulties.
The games were a joint partnership between the Gauteng Department of Social Development and its sister Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Special Olympics South Africa and Wheels of Change.
According to the director for Special Needs and Services to Families, Khanyisile Mathebula, the department hosted the Disability Games to observe Social Development Month, which is commemorated annually in October, to mark the government’s commitment to care for the most vulnerable in society.
“During this month, the Gauteng Department of Social Development organises activities geared towards interacting with communities and reminds its beneficiaries, especially persons with disabilities, they are equal citizens in their communities,” she said
“Disability is one of our important programmes in the department because we know in the past, society ignored people with disabilities and they did not get integrated with all programmes and activities – not only in government but in communities as well,” she continued.
“So, for us as social development, our work is to advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities,” said Mathebula during her keynote address.
Founder and chief executive officer at Wheels of Change, Thami Mankenkeza, added that he was grateful to the Gauteng Department of Social Development for taking this step to make sure that people with disabilities are getting included in sporting activities for social cohesion and also for recreational purposes.
“This will go a long way to ensure that the disability community participates in community projects and programmes run by social development,” said Mankenkeza.
The Gauteng Provincial Disability Games were a culmination of regional games, where different organisations in the disability sector competed in netball and soccer to qualify for provincial games.
