NORTH WEST OVER 60S TEAM SELECTED TO COMPETE AT THE NATIONAL GOLDEN GAMES

By Petrus Siko

• The North West province has selected a strong team to represent it at the national Golden Games taking place in Rustenburg in February 2025.
• The Golden Games, aimed at people aged 60 or older, embrace a range of sporting codes from the brisk walk to athletics, from jukskei to soccer, and the rugby ball throw to singing.
• The annual event aims to encourage older South Africans to embrace active ageing, thereby enhancing their quality of life and improving their health.

A 220-member team has been selected to represent the North West at the national Golden Games for the over 60s to be held in Rustenburg in February 2025.

Participants from the province’s four districts converged on the Mmabatho Stadium to compete in various sporting codes including the brisk walk, soccer, athletics, ring the ball, dress up, jukskei, rugby ball throw and singing.

Addressing the participants, the MEC for Social Development Basetsana Sussana Dantjie urged the provincial winners to train regularly to enhance their fitness ahead of the national Golden Games.

The annual event, held in collaboration with the provincial departments of health and arts, culture, sport and recreation, are meant to embrace active ageing, enhancing the quality of life and improving the health of older persons.

“For you to win in various sporting codes, you must form a formidable team because you are representing the province: form a strong team comprised of participants who perform well,” Dantjie told participants, who chanted songs of victory at the end of the games.

“We have a mandate to ensure that our senior citizens participate and share in active ageing initiatives and programmes of government.

“We are further committed to ensuring that our older persons remain physically and mentally active through the active ageing programme,” the MEC said.

This, in turn, would ensure their good health and longevity, said MEC Dantjie, adding that young people should emulate the elderly so that they too would lead a healthy lifestyle, free from obesity and other opportunistic diseases.

Dantjie is confident that the North West team will represent the province well in all the sporting codes and bring medals home from the national Golden Games.