KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture Dr. Ntuthuko Mahlaba today expressed confidence in the potential sport, arts and culture could play in revitalising the province’s economy and driving up the Department’s social cohesion agenda.
MEC Mahlaba was speaking during a key sport, arts and culture sectors stakeholders’s engagement he had convened at Coastlands Hostel Musgrave today. The meeting’s objective was to engage the sectors, gauge in their interest and promote working together of the sectors ahead of the launch of the Sukasambe programme in Newcastle next week.
Sukasambe is linked to a Ward-based Intervention Programme, an initiative aimed at addressing the challenges being faced, particularly by the youth, by taking a basket of services down to Ward level. The Provincial Government of KwaZulu-Natal assigned the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture, in collaboration with other departments and stakeholders, to address these with targeted interventions at the ward level working with communities.
Sports and the arts play a vital role in physical and mental health, self-esteem, social cohesion and improving overall well-being.
MEC Mahlaba called for a united front to ensure a sustainable economic impact to be driven by the sports, arts and culture fraternity.
“As a collective in the fields of sports, arts, and culture, our mission is to uplift the spirits of our nation through sports and the arts. I have recognised the need to initiate something that will unite us and help us move forward purposefully. Hence, I proposed the creation of a Ward-based Intervention Programme that will enable all of us to work together with a clear sense of purpose. We have given this exercise the moniker, SUKASAMBE, which demonstrates our urgency in hitting the ground running,” said MEC Mahlaba.
“We recognise that sports and the arts play a crucial role in physical and mental health, self-esteem, social cohesion, and overall well-being. In response, we have developed the Ward Intervention Programme (WIP) to address the unique challenges faced by our youth by bringing a range of services to the ward level,” said Mahlaba.
He added that working together, the sectors aspire to create a more inclusive and equitable society where everyone has the opp
ortunity to participate and thrive in the realms of sports, the arts, and culture.
“Through increased access to participation and involvement in the broader sports and arts communities, we can uplift the social mood of our province, as mentioned earlier. We will leave no one behind,” said Mahlaba.
Sukasambe will be launched on Tuesday, 12 September 2023, at Newcastle Farmers Hall. Further details to be communicated in due course.