The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has emphasised the importance of investing in school sports to provide young people with opportunities and prevent delinquency.
The Minister officially handed over a newly built multi-purpose sports facility at the James Ndulula Primary School on Friday, as part of the Human Rights Day commemorations in Kariega, Eastern Cape.
The Deputy President Paul Mashatile was also present during the handover ceremony before his address at the main Human Rights Day event at the Derrick Ferreira Stadium.
Speaking at the school, Minister McKenzie said: “I believe that a kid in sport is a kid out of court. We have many young people in conflict with the law because they have nothing to do. When we say we want to fix school sport, we have to start with facilities.”
“What you see here today is what you will see throughout the country. We are going to fix all the facilities where our children can train and play. It is their right to have proper facilities because when they get to university, they compete against children who come from top-paying schools and are at a disadvantage,” the Minister said.
The Minister highlighted that human rights extend beyond physical rights and include access to quality sporting facilities.
“The right to have good sporting facilities is also a basic human right for our children,” he stated.
He further committed to prioritising historically neglected areas in schools and ensuring a diverse range of sporting opportunities for learners.
“I am going to concentrate on the areas that were neglected before. We are going to have tennis courts and all these other facilities in our schools going forward,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
