October 23, 2007
By Lesego Madumo
THE second instalment of the annual OR Tambo Inter-municipal Games turned Marks Park Sports Club, in the leafy northern suburb of Emmarentia, into a sea of many colours.
The games were initiated by the South African Local Government Association (Salga) last year and were started in Ekurhuleni. Johannesburg was the host this year, with the games held on Friday, 19 October. In all, 14 Gauteng municipalities took part.
A tense volley ball match is underway
Executive Mayor Amos Masondo and his Ekurhuleni counterpart, Duma Nkosi, joined scores of councillors, officials and municipal employees at the sports ground. They were joined by the member of the mayoral committee for community development, Nandi Mayathula-Khoza; the Gauteng MEC for sports, arts and culture, Barbara Creecy Members; officers from the Johannesburg metropolitan police department; and officials from Salga.
The games were held under the auspices of the City, Salga and the Gauteng provincial government. The theme was Unity through sport and all 14 Gauteng municipalities in the province competed, including Joburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Mogale City, Sedibeng, Emfuleni, Lesedi, Nokeng, West Rand, Metsweding, and Midvaal.
Welcoming the participants, Mayathula-Khoza said that the games sought to forge inter-municipal relations and to offer a way to commemorate the life of the African National Congress stalwart, Oliver Reginald Tambo. "The theme resembles the fact that the City wants to forge relations and solidarity," she said, adding that sport was an international language that united people across countries, provinces, and municipalities.
The games were named for Tambo because he was an exceptional human being who dedicated his life to the oppressed and the future. "It is thus important to honour him with such an endeavour," Mayathula-Khoza said.
"Through these games we remember his legacy and life. The way we serve our people should reflect on the values that he fought for."
In his keynote address, Masondo said, "We have used the medium of sports to forge relations between municipalities and to bring together a divided people." The games were important because they promoted sport and encouraged a culture of leading a healthy lifestyle, as well as kept the youth from indiscretion.
They were aimed at breaking social, cultural, and political barriers and acting as a team-building exercise to promote a spirit of unity, Masondo said, adding that they gave participants an opportunity to socialise by way of sports.
He was pleased that Tambo's family had allowed the games to bear the name. "I believe that sport is a platform on which all municipalities should measure themselves and the society they serve. The games are a platform for municipalities to build relations and relax."
Games played on the day included golf, cycling, pool, table tennis, football, netball, chess, morabaraba, ladies' seven-a-side soccer, volleyball, action cricket, tug of war, darts, walking, and road running, among others. They were organised by the department of community development, which is headed by Mayathula-Khoza.
In addition to the sport, there was also a motorbike display by metro police, who were accompanied by a drill squad that danced metro police style.
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