Wellness day builds muscle and ties

AEROBICS, a potato race, tug-of-war and a relay were all used last week to assist in integrating workers from three different municipalities into one.

Troubled Enoch Mgijima local municipality took a day to build good relations between its employees with a wellness day at the Thobi Kula Indoor Sport Centre.

Enoch Mgijima municipality spokesman Gcobani Msindwana said: “The main aim is to integrate our workers as we all know that Enoch Mgijima is a new entity which was formed when Tsolwana, Inkwanca and Lukhanji municipalities were formed.”

All municipal employees together with the politicians took their training gear and participated in the event on Thursday.

Msindwana said the municipality had a duty to look after their workers’ interests.

“The municipality formed a wellness department which is located in the human resource department and this was their first attempt at trying to bridge the gap between workers of Enoch Mgijima,” he said.

Msindwana said they wanted to improve working relations between workers and encourage the delivery of services.

“As the municipality, our duties are refuse removal and supplying our locals with electricity, and the wellness department will help in making sure that our employees are able to cope with the work, emotionally and physically,” he said.

He said the programme started at 7am with a fun run and fun walk and after that they went to the interaction programmes which involved games and exercise.

“After the event, we focused on a formal programme were we invited services providers to help workers and councillors. As the municipality we are looking at the wellbeing of our workers,” he said.

Msindwana said among the departments that were part of the event were the cooperative government and traditional affairs and Chris Hani district municipality who gave their support.

Enoch Mgijima municipality executive mayor Sisisi Tolashe said: “It is programmes like these that will help stabilise the municipality.

“We will do everything in our power to make sure that this municipality is a great place to work and nurture skills of its employees” —