Thousands of athletes and spectators to make their way to Newcastle in December

The South African Local Government Association (Salga) games will draw thousands of sports fans to Newcastle’s Amajuba District from December 8 to 11.

According to a statement to a national news publication, the games have evolved into the most effective tool for promoting economic growth and development among youth.

According to Salga KZN deputy chairperson Xolani Dube, the games were established with the goal of promoting social cohesion through sports and thus improving the lives of youth within communities. The games began with two sporting codes twenty years ago. In 2019, there were 16 sporting codes and over 4 000 participants.

According to Dube, investments in sporting programmes and sports infrastructure aimed at grass-roots development have been realised through these games in recent years. The games also provide an opportunity to spot and develop talent.

“Every host district has been able to demonstrate not only economic gains, but also a legacy of infrastructure development, refurbishment, and maintenance,” Dube said.

He also mentioned that the games bring together technical officials from various confederations to officiate the games. This helps to maintain social cohesion.

Youth unemployment and persistent drug abuse, according to Dube, are major intractable challenges confronting today’s youth.

South Africa’s youth unemployment rate is expected to be 61.40% in the second quarter of 2022. “When one considers the number of graduates from higher education institutions who are also entering the labour force, these are troubling statistics.”

Dube stated that ‘it is not surprising that our country’s youth turn to substance abuse to cope with the harsh realities that they face’.

“Sport is an excellent tool for leveling the playing field and expanding opportunities to alleviate poverty. Since their inception, the games have unearthed and nurtured hidden talents.

“Household names like Siyabonga Sangweni, Siyabonga Nkosi, Siyabonga Mpontshane, Ayanda Gcaba, Bongiwe Msomi, Ayanda Dlamini, and many others participated in the Salga games before moving on to well-established local and national teams,” Dube said. These are just a few of the many athletes who had a successful sporting career and even had the opportunity to play for the country’s national teams.”

Speaking on youth empowerment through technology, Dube stated that an app developer in South Africa earns an average salary of R70 000, according to a Salga study conducted earlier this year in the province.

“This is a labour market that is underserved in KZN particularly by people living in rural areas. Against this backdrop, Salga in KZN has launched a new initiative known as the Inter-Municipal Tech Games, or Salga Tech Games. The youth of KZN will compete in the following gaming technological aspects: app development, web design, software engineering, and computer coding.”

The Inter-Municipal Tech Games, according to Dube, will take place in two stages. The first phase will be planning, during which students from various schools throughout the province will be trained in technological aspects.

The second phase will be the competition, in which they will compete in technological divisions against one another.

SALGA KZN and the KZN Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture recently coordinated a launch and draw to reveal the teams that will compete in games. These are their names:

• Netball (females):
• Group A: Ethekwini Metro, Umgungundlovu District, Ilembe District, Umkhanyakude District and Umzinyathi District.
• Group B: King Cetshwayo District, Zululand District, Uthukela District, Ugu District and Amajuba District.
• Football (males):
• Group A: Umkhanyakude District, Uthukela District, Zululand District and Umgungundlovu District.
• Group B: King Cetshwayo District, Umzinyathi District and Ethekwini Metro.
• Group C: Ilembe District, Ugu District and Amajuba District.
• Football (females):
• Group A: Ethekwini Metro, Amajuba District, Uthukela District and King Cetshwayo District.
• Group B: Ilembe District, Umzinyathi District and Umkhanyakude District.
• Group C: Umgungundlovu District, Zululand District and Ugu District.
• Basketball (males):
• Group A: Ethekwini Metro, Umgungundlovu District, King Cetshwayo District, Umzinyathi District and Ugu District.
• Group B: Zululand District, Amajuba District, Ilembe District and Uthukela District.
• Volleyball (males):
• Group A: Ethekwini Metro, Umgungundlovu District, Amajuba District, Umzinyathi District and Ugu District.
• Group B: Ilembe District, Umkhanyakude District, Uthukela District and King Cetshwayo District.

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