Plaudits for winners

THE IFP would like to congratulate Ann Ashworth and Bongumusa Mthembu, who made it a glorious double triumph for South Africa at the 2018 Comrades Marathon over the weekend between Pietermaritzburg and Durban.

In particular, we would like to applaud Bongumusa Mthembu, who originates from the rural community of Bulwer in KwaZulu-Natal, for being the first South African to win Comrades consecutively since the apartheid era.

We are very proud of his great achievement. He is a true champion and an inspiration to the youth of the province. It is fulfilling to see our people partaking in and winning such big, historical events. This is evidence that patience, persistence and hard work does pay off, and that commitment and discipline are important in succeeding.

We also call upon both international and national sponsors to sign up such dedicated athletes for more lasting and lucrative deals. It would be encouraging to see them not only offering running shoes and training kits, but meaningful and inspiring deals, as they do for international athletes.

Sports development at schools is another issue. We are not doing enough. Every child deserves the pleasure of kicking a ball, swinging a racquet or sprinting a 100m on an athletics field. More must be done to take sports to the children; they deserve nothing less.

The department should pay more attention to facilities and opportunities to engage in sporting activities in our rural areas and townships, and allocate additional funding for the construction of sporting facilities and the employment of skilled coaches who will be able to teach these youngsters different codes of sports. Nhlanhla Msimango MPL IFP KZN provincial Spokesperson on Sports and Recreation