Police test their grit at fun day

eThekwini Outer South (EOS) police members engaged in various activities including soccer, tug of war, cooking a potjie kos, egg and spoon race and a doughnut race during a fun day at Folweni Sports Grounds on Tuesday, 11 September.

Members from Amanzimtoti, Isipingo, KwaMakhutha, Folweni, Umlazi, Umkomaas and Bhekithemba SAPS participated in all sports with great enthusiasm. The fun day was in support of Casual Day. EOS members were given 400 Casual Day stickers and sold all of them to raise money for the disabled.

Casual Day is South Africa’s leading fundraising and awareness campaign for persons with disabilities and is the flagship project of the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD). The campaign encourages the public to contribute financially through a small donation of R10 for a sticker, and at the same time lobbies for the full inclusion and equity of persons with disabilities.

Each year, about 4,500 companies, 100 schools and 400 NGOs take part in Casual Day. Over the past 24 years since Casual Day was launched, the project has raised in excess of R276-million, which is distributed among the project’s national beneficiaries representing persons with disabilities as a part of a diverse society.

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This is achieved by the generous support of the South African public, corporates, government organisations, schools and the hard work of NGOs in getting the message and sticker sales out there.

There are 12 national beneficiary organisations which benefit from Casual Day:

• South African National Council for the Blind

• South African Federation for Mental Health

• Deaf Federation of South Africa

• Autism South Africa

• Down Syndrome South Africa

• National Association for Persons with Cerebral Palsy

• South African National Deaf Association

• National Institute for the Deaf

• Alzheimer’s South Africa

• QuadPara Association of South Africa

• South African Disability Alliance

• The National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities.

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The Durban School for the hearing-impaired based at Amanzimtoti was also part of the fun day. SAPS members were taught basic sign language and most importantly the signs of certain crimes. Perpetrators usually target the physically-impaired because they think they will not be able to report the crimes.

“It gives us great pleasure to be part of thousands of South Africans who demonstrate that small actions can make a huge difference. It raises awareness about disabilities. The fun day was a huge success and reaped fruitful results,” said acting EOS cluster commander, brigadier Vukani Mgobhozi.