CPF delivering change in the community of Nyanga

For Youth Day on Monday June 16, the Nyanga Policing Forum (CPF) brought together young people from different sectors across Nyanga to encourage them to take part in sport and physical activities more than before.

The CPF said it has realised that young people are celebrating the day wrongly by indulging in wrong things, such as alcohol.

Dumisani Qwebe, CPF secretary, said his organisation took a resolution that no child should be left out of sport activities. This year, the CPF worked with the police and focused on leadership, celebrating the strong leaders and role models who motivate and inspire others to participate in sports and physical activities, while also removing barriers that discourage youth from engaging.

The initiative was supported by internet service provider Too Much Wifi, which responded to a request from the CPF and police to make a donation towards a sports tournament, aimed at discouraging children from loitering on the streets and doing drugs.

Mr Qwebe praised the unique partnership with the police and its local councillor, saying they are now using sport and physical activity to help deliver social change in Nyanga.

Mr Qwebe said the Youth Day tournament provided an opportunity to promote the visibility and participation of everyone, including those who do not have teams. He said the tournament helped to break down barriers and inspire everyone to be active.

“After this, we believe a lot will change in Nyanga. There were many passionate individuals who participated for the first time in an initiative like this. Remember, many are scared to go out to the fields because Nyanga is known as a crime-riddled area. But now they get an opportunity to mix with others, unknown to them. We are more than happy to have organised such an event,” he said.

He said the winner of the tournament for netball and soccer would each get a sheep that will be slaughtered for everyone to enjoy.

The local ward 37 councillor, Sandile Martin, added that Nyanga will never be the same again. He said the Nyanga people know is no more. “We are changing things and strategies right now. We have been known for bad things, but I promise you our youth is now working with us in the fight against crime. This kind of sporting event is more like the old school where we used to play for amacala eegusha (sheep). That sport was disciplined and produced some disciplined individuals. Hence we resorted to this one,” he said.

The long day event saw young and old involved in netball, soccer, rugby, and weightlifting. The sponsor provided the police with free wifi in some areas of Nyanga.