SA fitness industry takes to the streets to #SaveOurGyms

In an effort to save an estimated 29,000 jobs, South African gyms owners, personal trainers and fitness enthusiasts will reportedly take to the streets on Wednesday, 05 August 2020 for a peaceful protest demanding that gyms be allowed to open. 

There is no word on who the organisers of the protest action are but according to a circular that has been published online and shared on messaging platforms such as Whatsapp “gym employees across the country will be embarking on a national protest against the nonsensical, irrational, continual closure of the gyms.” 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

@therockgymwellness …it’s the 1st of a new month and now another month of rental is due.we haven’t had any proper income from our gym for the past 4 months.leave alone having to pay our rent,but our funds have run out and our staff have been severely affected. Their families and their livelihoods are in distress as well.If businesses of every other major sector are open…surely we can allow gyms to open and to comply with safety measures.#saveourgyms

A post shared by ITS JUST CULTURE (@donavan._rockgym) on Aug 1, 2020 at 1:49am PDT

The action is set to take place at various, unidentified venues between 12 and 2pm and participants are encouraged to head to their nearest clubs wearing black or white, and to bring a poster to display. 

There has been great emphasis on the fact that this will be a peaceful protest and that social distancing will be strictly enforced. 

Other versions of the circular have stated that there will be outdoor spinning and aerobics classes taking place.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Gyms are an important part of health for our nation! Not only is it a safe space for many who find their mental tranquility here, it provides much needed jobs in a decimated economy. We ask everyone to share this post whilst we pressure government for an official reopening date! #saveourgyms Eagle Canyon Golf Estate Eaglecanyongolf

A post shared by Eagle Canyon Gym and Wellness (@eaglecanyongym) on Aug 4, 2020 at 12:00am PDT

Gavin Mabasa, personal trainer at Dream Body Fitness in Sunninghill is one of the many who will be taking part in tomorrow’s action. 

Mabasa, who has been out of work for five months sounds audibly frustrated with the situation when speaking to the Citizen. He begins by lamenting the fact that government made no plans for financial relief for those in the fitness industry despite putting their incomes on hold for so long. 

“There’s nothing that government has offered us. We’ve been sitting at home and there has just been nothing. We haven’t received any income from anything.”

The trainer makes mention of the alternatives that he and others like him have turned to during this time, to no avail. 

“We were trying to do online training as trainers but we are not winning, so that’s why we came up with the idea for tomorrow’s protest,” said Mabasa, before adding, “We’re also human beings like other people, we had jobs, we need to pay rent, we need to pay our cars, those kinds of things and we’ve got families relying on us.” 

“If this thing tomorrow doesn’t go well, I have no idea what the next step is. This thing [the strike] is our last hope.” 

The trainer stated that in the event that people cannot keep up with their gym memberships as a way to show support, they can lend their support by raising awareness in any ways they can – namely by posting about the strike action on social media and lending their voices to the call for gyms to open back up. 

“We can also follow the rules, we can also put 50 people in the gym like how they do at church and those kinds of things.”  

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