Ekurhuleni Aerobics Festival brings GBV awareness to Germiston
The event catered for people of all walks of life. Local fitness clubs were invited to showcase what they do.
Ntokozo Mwelase of Future Shapers Aerobics Club recently hosted the annual Ekurhuleni Aerobics Festival at the Germiston Community Hall.
People of different clubs from around the city came to enjoy a day of fitness.
Partnering with Yenza Sneakers for the second year, the event aimed to raise awareness around gender-based violence.
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Mzansi Act Now, established by concerned South African men and women who have organised themselves nationally to fight the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide, social ills and create safe spaces within communities, also partnered with the organisers.
Forgy Mokalapa, PR and marketing head at Ekurhuleni Aerobics Festival, said a second hosting will be held on June 16 at the same venue.
“We partnered with Act Now to send a strong message to perpetrators to stop all form of abuse and degradation in human society,” said Mokalapa.
“The event catered for people of all walks of life. Local fitness clubs were invited to showcase what they do. We had young and elderly people coming in which was fun to see.
“We had Bophelong Fitness Club from Thembisa and Kathorus Fitness League to name a few clubs.
“We had amapiano artist Lady Du who performed and left early. We had Nkululeko Dlamini dubbed ‘the King of Squats’.
“Our first sessions involved functional training. About 450 people registered to come,” said Mokalapa.
Organiser Ntokozo Mwelase said he is passionate about helping communities keep fit to prolong their lives.
He said the event is aimed at encouraging and motivating young people to live healthy lifestyles.
“Today it’s my birthday and we celebrated through physical exercise sessions and promoting healthy living This event is usually hosted around this time of the month,” said Mwelase.
“We brought different clubs from different areas for each to learn from one another and go back to their communities to motivate and teach others.”
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“Yenza Sneakers have been our partners for the second year in a row. They are passionate about community development and impressed by the work that we do, hence they came on board.”
“To have a winning community we need the partnership of both the corporate and NPO sectors,” said Mwelase.
Act Now chairman Tebogo Lerole said they are focused on creating awareness around GBV and its impact in Gauteng communities.
“This event was in line with our mission. We are here to raise awareness but also encourage the men who attended the event to keep healthy minds. They are focused on their health rather than drinking and abusing sustances.
“Studies have shown that drugs and alcohol can lead to domestic fights resulting into cases of gender-based violence. We encourage men to stay fit, healthy and care about their mental health.
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“I am also the deputy president of the National Mens Forum of SA. We launched a programme called Better Man 4 Tomorrow.
Our mental health initiative empowers men to talk openly about their mental health, seek support, and break down stigmas that prevent them from accessing care.
“What we want to share with the community is that a healthy man makes sober decisions. We have about 1.1 million men that we need to bring back into the programme of testing for HIV. The number of women infected is increasing, meaning there are those sleeping without protection.
“To further strengthen the reach of our programmes we have hikes, walks, tavern dialogues, and taxi rank talks that we do throughout the year,” said Lerole.
Vuyo Thati, aka Blade, said he travels for events with a purpose hence he came to Germiston to support the message behind the event and also celebrate his friend’s 40th birthday.
“Today’s event’s main purpose was to create awareness in breaking the silence against GBV. What I like about him (Mwelase) is that he gives back to the community in so many ways,” said Blade.
“We are based in Kimberly, we are at the heart of a township, giving people access to gym facilities.
“I also have elderly classes. Coming here I saw elderly who partook in the activities, meaning our elderly are aging actively.
“We have other activities like cycling, karate, aerobics to try to accommodate everyone. Members of the gym have realised that exercising is no longer a resolution but a solution; it is a lifestyle. The behaviour of most men who started at the gym has changed.
“We need men who wont be reactive but proactive in our society to curb domestic violence and GBV. Hence I came all the way here to support the movement,” said Blade.
