Video
GEORGE NEWS - A child in sport is a child out of court. Solving, or at least diluting, many of the social ills that Garden Route youth are plagued by is just one in a series of positive spin-offs set to follow today, 23 June’s handover of the Rosemore Athletics Track.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, said he expected the state-of-the-art R40m tartan athletics track to produce many international sport stars.
“This athletics track is more than just infrastructure; it’s an investment in the kids’ future. There is already so much talent here, the kids just needed the facilities. The next Caster Semenya, Akani Simbini and Bayanda Walaza will come from George,” he said, smiling.
He also praised George's mayor, Jackie von Brandis, for spending the money the municipality received from Treasury for this project, as intended.
“What you see here, you can see is worth R40m,” McKenzie said, drawing a stark comparison to cases where money funnelled to municipalities for infrastructure projects is far too often being spent on, for example, staff salaries, resulting in substandard projects being delivered to communities they are meant to serve.
Von Brandis also commended the various spheres of government involved in the project's success.
“This is what happens when the different spheres of government work together,” she said.
The George Municipality contributed 22% of the total R40m project cost, which means the people of George have skin in the game. In addition, Hibernia Primary School also gave a portion of its schoolgrounds when more land was needed to build the track.
“Children, this is your facility. Let’s look after it,” Melvin Roelfse, MMC for sport and social development, encouraged the children from the various schools that were invited.
At the end of the programme, sports equipment was donated to 10 schools from various parts of the Garden Route.
Read the full story in the print edition of George Herald on Thursday.
Video: Video: The synthetic athletics track in Rosemoor is complete, and today marks the grand opening. Various Western Cape government dignitaries and SWD Athletics officials are in attendance. Jeff Ayliffe of Group Editors Live is reporting from the event.
Video: Gayton McKenzie, Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture of South Africa at the opening of the new Rosemoor athletics track.
Video: Gayton McKenzie, Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture of South Africa, is currently at the grand opening of the Roosemore athletics track. The unveiling of the track is currently taking place. Video: Jeff Ayliffe
Video: Gayton McKenzie, Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, is expecting great things to come from the establishment of the new facility. Video: Jeff Ayliffe
The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie at the handover with Comrades legend, Louis Massyn.
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
