uMthunywa
‘‘ANGISOZE ngagqoka isiketi ngoba nakhu ngifuna ukuveza ukuthi ngingowesifazane. Ngisazoqhubeka ngizigqokele amabhulukwe namasudi, ongakufuni lokho akundaba yami leyo”. Lawa ngamazwi omgijimi waseNingizimu Afrika, uCaster Semenya, osewole izindondo zegolide emiqhudelwaneni emikhulu emhlabeni okubalwa kuyona ama-Olympic, World Championship namaCommonwealth Games eminxeni ka-800m no-1 500m.
USemenya usho lokhu ngesikhathi eyisikhulumi ngoMgqibelo emcimbini kaMasipala weTheku wokwethulwa ngokusemthethweni kwemidlalo eyaziwa ngeThekwini Games eNkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre.
Imidlalo kusophwe ngayo ukuvumbulula amakhono kubadlali baseThekwini emidlalweni ewu-16 eyehlukene ukuze kwakhiwe isikwati esiqinile samaSouth African Local Authority (SALGA) esizomela idolobha ngasekupheleni konyaka.
“Abantu kufanele bakuqonde ukuthi indlela umuntu abukeka ngayo noma akhuluma ngayo noma ahamba ngayo kayisho lutho kepha umuntu wehlulelwa ngezenzo zakhe nangendlela aziphatha ngayo. Nokho ngizithole ngiwumgilwa wokwecwaswa ngokobulili nokungenze ngaqina kakhulu njengomuntu nakuba kade kunzima. Kungakho ngithathe isinqumo sokuba ngizogqugquzela izingane zamantombazane zalapha eThekwini ukuba zingalinge zizinyeze noma zizifihle ubunjalo bazo noma ngabe isimo sinzima kanjani,” kusho uSemenya.
Unqabile ukuphendula umbuzo mayelana nomthetho we-International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) oyalela abasubathi ukuthi bathathe imithi ukuze behlise izinga le-testosterone emizimbeni yabo.
INhloko yamaPaki, ezokuNgcebeleka namaSiko kuMasipala iTheku, uMnuz Thembinkosi Ngcobo, iThekwini Games izoqala emawidini wonke eTheku awu-110, ikhuphuke njalo ize ifike ezifundeni zeTheku. Inhloso yalokhu wukuqinisekisa ukuthi wonke amawadi ayameleleka esikwatini.
UNgcobo kungenzeka ukuthi ubephendula isikhalo seminyaka sokuthi abadlali abaningi ababa ngamalungu esikwati seTheku basuke bephuma kumaFederations. Lokhu kwenza kube khona abadlali abasalayo njengoba kumaFederations kujoyinwa ngemali abanye abadlali abangabi nayo.
“Uma isikwati sesikhethwe sonke saphelela emidlalweni ewu-16 eyahlukene, sizoqinisekisa ukuthi siba ndawonye okungenani izinyanga ezintathu ngaphambi kokuqala komqhudelwano ngoba sifisa ukuba abadlali bajwayelane,” kuchaza uNgcobo.
Okunye okuvelile wukuthi kuzoba nezinkakha ezizocija abadlali baseThekwini emidlalweni yonke ewu-16, okubalwa kuyona ibhola lezinyawo, netball, rugby neminye.
Phakathi komakadebona ababaliwe kukhona uVuma Mfeka, uCedric “Sugar Ray” Xulu abadume kakhulu kunobhutshuzwayo eminyakeni eyedlule noPrecious Mthembu.
Imidlalo izodlalwa ngoJulayi 21 isongwe ngoJulayi 22. — Isolezwe
