It is expected that there will be more young people who will grow up and be successful with different sports skills, which will be prepared at a center to sharpen children and young people in their different skills which will take place at Rexona Safe Hub, in KwaMashu, Durban.
This center, which took almost two years to build in collaboration between the Municipality of Thekwini and the company Unilever South Africa, was officially opened on Wednesday, and is expected to be useful to the community.
The general director and founder of Safe Hub Global, which is a body that has built similar centers around the world, Mr. Florian Zech, said that his idea started 18 years ago in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, where he would live from Germany.
“That’s when I realized how far the townships are lagging behind in terms of development programs for children and young people, when it was evident that they have good and amazing skills,” said Zech.
Continuing, he said that his idea with his partners is to work together to help the youth in the townships to pay attention to their different skills, especially sports, because they believe that this can help to increase the number of children who succeed in sports.
“Therefore, we wish to continue as this center is the 16th here in South Africa as we have done the same with 15 others in different parts of the country,” he said.
The Chairman of the Committee for Economic Development and Planning in the Thekwini Municipality, Councilor Thembo Ntuli said that the Thekwini Municipality saw the need to increase such places which will help the youth of KwaMashu and its surroundings.
“We are doing this because we hope that it will help to increase the number of people in this area who will grow up and flourish with sports skills, and we also see that if they are successful, they will come back and continue where we left off,” said Ntuli.
Councilor Muntu Nxumalo, who represented the Councilor of Ward 47 where this center was built, also unanimously said that they want this center to prepare and sharpen young people so that they can grow up and be useful to the community they grew up in.
“Although this will help to erase the bad image that has been painted about this township, which is often in the headlines for criminal activities and other negative things. What we are seeing happening now will highlight that there is something good that we can do,” he said.
This institution is expected to produce young people in the coming years who will follow in the footsteps of others who grew up in this area, including footballers Siyanda Xulu, Siboniso Gaxa and Siyabonga Nomvethe, Thalente Mbatha – then singer Zakes Bantwini and actors Leleti Khumalo, Nompilo Maphumulo and Nomzamo Mbatha.