KwaThema – Women of all ages in Langaville have taken it upon themselves to lead a healthy lifestyle.
The group exercises every morning from 6am to 8am at a new eco park in Extension 79.
Ward committee member in sports and founder of Langaville Athletics and Fitness Academy Sakkie Kgaphola says he decided to use the newly-constructed eco-gym to benefit the community.
“The park is fitted with gym equipment, which I identified were used by children as swings.
“I decided to start the morning exercises to help the residents regain a control of their lives through exercising.
“Exercising doesn’t only help with weight loss, but reduces the risk of chronic illnesses, helps with the brain and memory, which makes one more productive.
“I am happy that the elders have joined us because this will help them in increasing their life expectancies.
“We also have young people joining us after school, participating in netball, karate and athletics.
“All we want is to see people being active,” he explains.
Sakkie is urging the government and local business people to be involved in supporting activities in their community.
“We need facilities and equipment, which include balls and gear for the players, which, at this point, we cannot afford.
“We are scared that without all these equipment some of the players will lose interest in the sport.
“It is unfortunate we cannot expect our participants to contribute towards funding all these needs because the majority of them are unemployed,” he says.
