Joburg rides its way to victory at OR Tambo games
20-10-2014
Cyclists and golfers from the City of Johannesburg held the City flag high as they were crowned champions of the OR Tambo games on 24 October.
The 8th annual South African Local Government Association (SALGA) inter-municipal games saw the City of Joburg battling it out with their counterparts in different sporting codes.
Thousands of municipal workers from different municipalities in Gauteng converged for the games at the Vaal University of Technology sports grounds in Vanderbijlpark. The festivities started as early as 7:00 as the chairman of SALGA Gauteng and the Executive Mayor of the City of Joburg Cllr Parks Tau lit the torch to officially open the games.
The mayor emphasized the importance of the OR Tambo games in the SALGA calendar of events, stating that this year’s event coincidee with the country’s celebration of 20years of democracy. “This momentous occasion presents the perfect platform to honour Oliver Tambo, one of the stalwarts whose sacrifices led to South Africa being able to celebrate these 20 years of freedom. The O.R Tambo games by their nature are designed to unite local government officials through sports. These games serve as a vital platform for municipal workers to unlock their sporting potential whilst facilitating social cohesion within the local government,” said Mayor Tau.
The teams paraded their municipal flags and took to various fields to battle it out. The day started well for the Team Joburg volleyball team as they cruised past their arch-rivals, the City of Tshwane, to defend their title. The tables turned later as the two teams met in the final again and Joburg eventually surrendered their title to the rivals.
Joburg put up a fight in netball as they lost 21-22 in a closely contested final against Ekurhuleni.
The smiles were brought back by the Joburg golf team that dominated the driveway, and were crowned champions, followed by Mogale City.
The Joburg soccer teams - both men and women - did fairly well as they both bowed out in the finals against Ekurhuleni and Mogale City respectively.
Mayor Tau congratulated the winners and also encouraged those that did not win to accept defeat with dignity.
Mogale City will be hosting the next edition of the O.R Tambo games next year.