Durban - Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu has encouraged schools to revive the culture of sports activities, not only to lead a healthy lifestyle, but to boost mental health.
Mshengu spoke on Sunday shortly after participating in the 10km race in the annual Mandela Marathon in Pietermaritzburg.
About 20 000 people took part in activities along the 42km route from Imbali township to the Nelson Mandela capture site near Howick.
The event was attended by Mandela’s
eldest grandson, Mandla Mandela.
Mshengu said: “I feel both motivated and happy that I finished the race. I feel good and still fit. In fact, I could have done more than 10km. I’m looking forward to participating again next year. I did it to encourage pupils and to honour former president Nelson Mandela’s legacy.”
He said the main reason he ran was to show pupils that sport was an important part of a healthy lifestyle.
His department is working with the Department of Sports and Recreation in developing programmes to revive sport at schools.
Mshengu said that schools needed to adjust and plan the curriculum to accommodate sports activities.
“Sport has been neglected in most schools and I can’t say what led to this. We have realised that we need to do something to encourage and support sports in our schools.
“We need to go back to basics and encourage our children to play different sporting codes. Sporting talent needs to be natured from a young age. Schools used to be the biggest role-player in nurturing talent.
‘Today we see a lot of successful sportsmen and women doing well on the international and local fields, and it all started with the support they received while at school,” he said.
Premier Sihle Zikalala also participated in the race and arrived at the finish three seconds ahead of Mshengu.
“The human spirit has triumphed once again as athletes from all over the globe competed in disciplines in uMgungundlovu, where the late Nelson Mandela was arrested 57 years ago by the apartheid police,” said Zikalala.
The winners of the main 42km race were Muhajr Haredin Sraj in the men’s category and his wife Sofiya Shemsu Chegen in the women’s category.
Chegen broke the women’s record with a time of 2:45:21.
The winners of the 21km race were Joel Mmane in the men’s category and Rutendo Nyahora in the women’s category.
On a sad note, the Pietermaritzburg teacher and vice-chairperson of Save Orion Athletics Club, Narendra Singh, died shortly after participating in the 21km race yesterday.
Singh, 65, finished the race in under two hours. He then fell ill and was attended to by paramedics, but later died.
Singh had served as the vice-chairperson of the club for the last 18 years.