September 18, 2007
By Lesego Madumo
TRAPS and passes, birdie's and slam-dunks characterised the fourth annual City employee games, which took place at the Marks Park Sports Club in Emmarentia on a sunny Friday morning of 14 September.
Sporting bright rainbow colours, almost 1 000 City employees from all its regions, agencies and companies, braved the heat to compete against each other on the sports fields and braai the office beef.
MMC Nandi Mayathula-Khosa, with Bongani Zondi, chair of the commundity development Section 79 committee and Nosisa Mokoka, director of sport and recreation hand out prices to winning teams
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
Games played on the day included golf, cycling, basketball, pool, table tennis, football, netball, chess and morabaraba, in which every employee won a medal for their participation.
The games were organised by the department of community development and, as usual, were themed Working, living and playing in Joburg. This has been the theme of the event since it began in 2003. "I think this will be our theme as long as the games run because we all work, live and play in this beautiful city," noted Vincent Campbell, the deputy director in the sports and recreation department.
Although the games were funded internally, he said the City was looking into roping in an external sponsor in future.
They were a City initiative devised to break social, cultural and political barriers and to act as a team-building exercise to promote a spirit of unity among staff, he said.
"They afford City employees, officials and politicians an opportunity to come together and socialise by way of sports." The games also played a pivotal role in employee wellness, because "their contribution manifests better when they exercise".
City manager Mavela Dlamini teed off on the golf course, alongside other City officials, regional directors and their deputies and political affiliates; and it seems a splendid time was had by all. "This just demonstrates how important the games are for the City," Campbell said.
Teams were selected at the games to represent Johannesburg at the OR Tambo Games, which will take place in Joburg on 19 October. They will also represent Jozi in upcoming provincial and other municipal games.
"The bigger picture is to host the most successful Or Tambo Games … My highlight of the event was the whole day. Just to see people participating in a fantastic spirit in the games, across all their cultures, managerial and political divides was for me exciting and enjoyable."
There was no seniority in sport, he added.
Echoing his remarks, Lindile Myeza, a City employee who took part, said the games provided a platform to socialise. "They created a social mood and they are good because we get to know each other better in the process."
Runners up in the women's soccer, Myeza said she and her colleagues had had a pleasant experience.
Underlining the importance of sport, the City adopted an Employee Sports Policy in 2005 to encourage staff to be more active. And Executive Mayor Amos Masondo is on record as saying the City used sport to bring together a divided people.
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