R200 000 set aside for refurbishment of CDM sports academy
The centre will not only cater for the youth, but for senior citizens as well
LIMPOPO – An amount of R200 000 has been put aside by the Capricorn District Municipality (CDM) for the refurbishment of the municipality’s academy of sports situated in Ga-Mothapo outside Polokwane.
Speaking at the official handover of the project to the service provider last Tuesday, CDM Spokesperson, Jabu Masondo, said they believed this refurbishment will help reduce the crime rate in the communities surrounding the academy.
He said the facility will not only cater for the youth, but for senior citizens as well as they will use the facility to relieve stress, alleviate high blood pressure and related illness as there will be a newly improved physiotherapy assessment and bio-kinetics centre for medical screening and other essentials related to sport and wellness.
“The indoors sport academy was officially opened in 2012. Its main purpose was to prepare athletes for minor and major competitions and enrich the lives of aspiring athletes,” said Masondo.
“The facility caters for karate, boxing, basketball, netball, badminton, gymnastics, indoor hockey, wresting and other indoor sporting codes,” he added.
Deputy Director for Limpopo Academy of Sports, Slate Shiluvane, said having such sport facilities in every district is crucial to prevent the community from travelling long distances to access sporting facilities.
“We would not take our sporting events to Polokwane if we had proper state-of-the-art facilities in our villages,” said Shiluvane.
He added that the CDM academy for sports is in a rural area and is meant to grow and develop sport in villages as well as produce top athletes which will represent the province and the country as a whole.
“Needless to say, resources will never be enough. What sets us back in the sporting industry is we spend a lot of money paying hotels for accommodation. The district academies needs to have accommodation to curb wasteful expenditure,” he added.
Capricorn Sports Confederation chairperson, Attlee Maponyane, said the CDM sports academy centre will make training of local teams easier for them.
“Having enough equipment will also assist us in ensuring that every candidate is well trained before they can represent us on the national championships games,” he said.
“We need our youth within our communities to come in numbers and take part in exercising as this will keep them fit and also keep them away from the streets and a life of crime,” he concluded.
Itu’s Consulting Project Manager, Itumeleng Ngwako, said he promises to do great work for the people of Ga-Mothapo and that the project will be done within a given time.
