Durban — Sporting enthusiasts will converge on the Amajuba District in Newcastle for the South African Local Government Association (Salga) games.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) and Salga are hosting the event between December 8-11.
The games have become the best tool for the promotion of economic growth and development among the youth. They were established with the aim of promoting social cohesion through sports and thereby improving the lives of the youth within communities, said Salga KZN deputy chairperson Xolani Dube.
Twenty years ago the games began with two sporting codes. In 2019, there were a total of 16 sporting codes and more than 4 000 participants
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the last games were held in 2019.
Dube said that over the past few years, investments in sporting programmes and sports infrastructure which target grass-roots development have been realised through these games. The games also present an opportunity to identify and nurture talent.
“Every host district has been able to not only show economic gains with the games, but also a legacy of infrastructure development, refurbishment and maintenance,” said Dube.
He added that the games also bring together technical officials from different confederations to officiate the games. This contributes towards social cohesion.
Dube said youth unemployment and persistent drug abuse were major intractable challenges facing the youth today.
The youth unemployment rate in South Africa was said to be sitting at 61.40% in the second quarter of 2022.
These are alarming figures when one looks at the number of graduates from institutions of higher education who are also joining the labour market.
Dube said it does not come as a surprise that the youth in the country turn to substance abuse to cope with the harsh realities that they face in our country.
Dube said sports is a great instrument for levelling the playing field and opening further doors to alleviate poverty. The games have unearthed and nurtured hidden talents since they were established.
Dube said: “Household names such as Siyabonga Sangweni, Siyabonga Nkosi, Siyabonga Mpontshane, Ayanda Gcaba, Bongiwe Msomi, Ayanda Dlamini and many others participated in the Salga games prior to furthering their careers in well-established local and national teams.
“These are just a few of the many athletes who had a successful career in sports and had the opportunity to even play for the national teams of the country.”
Speaking on youth empowerment through technology, Dube said that according to the study by Salga in the province earlier this year, an app developer in South Africa earns an average salary of R70 000.
“This is a labour market which is not being tapped into in the KZN province, especially by people residing in rural areas.
“It is against this backdrop that Salga in KZN has introduced a new initiative called the Inter-Municipal Tech games, or Salga Tech games.
“This will see the youth of KZN compete in the following technological aspects of gaming: app development, web designing, software engineering, and computer coding.”
Dube said that the Inter-Municipal Tech games will unfold in two phases. The first phase will be the planning phase, when pupils from various schools across the province will be trained in the technological aspects.
The second phase will be the competition, where they will be competing against one another in the technological divisions.
Daily News