Dressed to thrill, teams received new kit.
Nyanga sport teams were given a boost when they received donations of kit from Ward 37 councillor Luyanda Nyingwa at the Zolani Centre at the weekend.
Mr Nyingwa is among the councillors who decided to extend a helping hand to vulnerable families who are facing even more hardship during the lockdown.
Last Friday, November 20, he distributed blankets to seniors in Nyanga and on Saturday, November 21, he distributed soccer and netball kit to 10 teams in his area.
“We decided to give out to senior citizens because normally during this time of the year we have programmes for them but we could not do. We ought to be honest that there are so many families who are in need of assistance so I decided to do this,” he said
He said he is happy to have worked with different organisations like the sport council, Sub-council 14 and individuals to share the little his ward allocation has to help residents of Nyanga.
He said the idea behind him reaching out to sport teams was to try to encourage young people to stay away from crime and be more active.
“Initially I wanted to stage a tournament for them but because of the Covid19 regulations we could not do that. The tournament was supposed to be in March. Instead of doing nothing we bought kits for them so that they can see that we are serious about crime fighting and we are also behind them. We want them to focus more on different activities rather than crime and drugs,” he said
On Saturday, Mr Nyingwa was all smiles as club members showed their appreciation for his donations.
The kit handover was also attended by Miranda Ngculu sub-council 14 chairperson Thandi Makasi who applauded Mr Nyingwa for donating kits to young people. “This is a good event to show young people they are supported in sport. Mr Nyingwa has used part of his ward allocation money to have good programmes like this. We saw him giving out blankets to seniors and now this. I wish him all the best,” she said.
As lots of volunteers came forward to assist with the distribution of kits, young players were in a jovial mood. Siphamandla Dondolo of Jabula Brother football club said the new kit will give them all the confidence they want when they play. “We won’t rely on one kit now. At least we will have home and away kits. We can see that we are cared for,” he said.
Thando Gqubushe from Masithandane FC said he was excited to have a new strip. He added that the kit will also encourage them to play better football. The councillor pleaded with members of other sport codes like rugby, tennis, boxing and basketball to bear with him. However he said their time to get kits will come.