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Police admin clerk Joshua Gcilitshana, whose belly betrays a love for beer, managed two words when asked about a five-hour fitness regimen for him and his colleagues: "Jeepers, man!"
Wiping sweat from his face, the amiable 44-year-old, wearing a black ANC "My vision, my future" T-shirt, needed to catch his breath before revealing his talkative side.
"No, this is very good, I think it must happen rapidly now, every Wednesday," said Gcilitshana, who was in high spirits despite having to slip outside for a quick rest.
| Some twisted in agony, others smiling bravely |
"The brains and bones are not the same as the young ones, hey."
He proudly used the opportunity to share that he knew world junior flyweight champion Baby Jakes Matlala, who kicked off the five-hour aerobic physical fitness session for police at Orlando community hall in Soweto yesterday.
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Gcilitshana started off keenly at 9am, but as the exercise clock ticked, his boxing moves become slower and slower, although his face showed no sign of the enthusiasm wearing off.
The senior administration clerk from the Linden police station described himself as a former boxer dreaming of training young boys in Soweto "to take them out of drugs".
Gcilitshana was in the front row with Matlala, who, in his blue boxing shoes, received a rousing welcome from hundreds of policemen and women, several of whom still sported smiles - albeit slightly vaguer - two hours later.
| Organiser had not spotted him sleeping in his car outside the hall |
"They're doing very well. It's amazing," said Inspector Deidre Radley from the Orlando police station, cheering and waving from the side. She could not exercise because she was pregnant.
Two women wearing dresses and make-up sitting behind Radley were obviously not planning to take part either, but happily pointed and laughed at their huffing and puffing colleagues.
Trainer Mpho Masinga, wearing tight grey ski-pants and a short top revealing her six-pack and rose-and-butterfly tattoo, had no trouble keeping up despite an injury to her leg.
Since Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa announced this year that police needed to get fit, Masinga had offered fitness sessions four times a week.
"I really see progress ... they didn't exercise at all and now some of them are even joining the gym," said Masinga, looking over the sea of faces - some twisted in agony, others smiling bravely.
Matlala was one of a handful who did not struggle to keep up, but he kept his focus on boxing moves, paying no attention to instructions from the trainer to clap hands in between the kicks and punches.
In contrast, several men in the back row just stood, some not even trying to keep up with the moves.
One opportunistic officer was in luck - the organiser had not spotted him sleeping in his car outside the hall.
- This article was originally published on page 8 of The Star on October 29, 2009
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