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KZN PREMIER TO OFFICIALLY HAND OVER SPORT FACILITIES
In a bid to boost rural communities' participation in sport and produce sportsmen and women to compete at local, provincial, national and world events, the honourable Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Dr LPHM Mtshali, and the KZN Minister of Education and Culture, Mr Narend Singh, will officially hand over nine basic sport facilities to the eight district municipalities on Friday, 1 August 2003, at the Ulundi Sports Grounds commencing at 09:00.
This year the Province of KwaZulu-Natal received the lion's share of the budget from the national initiative, an amount of R23 million has been allocated for the construction of 17 sport facilities in 10 district municipalities for basic sport facilities in underdeveloped areas throughout KwaZulu-Natal. This Department has proven once again to be a trailblazer in implementing national initiatives quickly and efficiently. During the last financial year (2002-2003) nine projects were constructed at a cost of R15.3 million. This forms part of the poverty alleviation programme, which includes building for sport and recreation.
The Department has spent R3.1m in the municipal district of Ugu on the Harding Sport Complex. At the Uthukela District an amount of R1m each was spent on Madlaka and Uitval areas. In the districts of Ilembe, Mkhanyakude and Sisonke an amount of R1.2m each was spent in the areas of Ndwedwe, Manguza, and Egqumeni. An amount of R2.2m each was spent in the districts of Uthungulu, Zululand and Umzinyathi in the areas of Eshowe, Ulundi and Enquthu respectively.
Annually the department hosts the Premier's Sport Awards function where emerging and talented sport heroes are seen surfacing. By providing these basic sport facilities the department envisages talented individual skills being developed and nurtured. The Minister is investigating the possibility of converting certain colleges of education into schools of excellence for sport. An invitation is extended to the media to attend this momentous occasion to assist the department in promoting sport participation by all the people of KwaZulu-Natal.
Contact: Mandla Msibi on (035) 874 3423, 083 461 6253, Fax. No. (035) 874 3640
Issued by KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
30 July 2003