Department Boosts Sport Participation for Youth at Risk | Western Cape Government

News

News

Department Boosts Sport Participation for Youth at Risk

23 May 2014

Hundreds of learners from crime-stricken communities in the Cape Metropole region are expected to benefit from a generous investment of sport equipment and attire from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS).

The handover ceremony held in Cape Town on 21 May 2014 formed part of the DCAS Anti-Gang Programme to support sport organisations providing the youth with alternatives to drugs, crime and gangsterism. These organisations are based in the communities of KTC, Nyanga, Delft, Bokmakierie, Samora Machel and Khayelitsha and focus mainly on street soccer and netball codes.

DCAS Director of Sport Promotion Thabo Tutu said the equipment is meant for communities as it’s going to be used by our youth. “We want to uplift these communities by reducing crime through sport. These organisations are already showing the youth that there are positive ways to enjoy life through fun-filled sport activities.”

Anti-Gang Programme Co-ordinator Mario Van Niekerk said the equipment the clubs have received will help to uplift these communities. “You are working hard in our communities and make a difference in the lives of many youth,” he told representatives from these organisations. He added that the anti-gang programme is already boasting two leading centres in Bokmakierie near Athlone and Samora Machel near Philippi.

Mncedisi Phukwana, who runs a street soccer organisation in Nyanga, says he is delighted to receive equipment from the department. “We have been involved in the Anti-Gang Programme for two years and the department’s support makes it possible to take our games to the streets, where many lives are changed.”  It was clear that the department and these organisations can work together to make a positive difference in the lives of youth at risk based in these communities.

Media Enquiries: 

Tania Colyn
Acting Head of Communication Service
Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport
Tel: 021 483 9877
E-mail: tania.colyn@westerncape.gov.za