Jozi’s healthy lifestyle fun walk attracts hundreds

30-10-2014

 

Hundreds of City of Johannesburg employees – including junior and senior officials – and residents of Turffontein, Yeoville, Hillbrow, Malvern and Johannesburg CBD descended on Rotunda Park in Rosettenvile, southeast of Johannesburg, on Saturday to take part in a 5km fun walk to demonstrate their support for the City’s Healthy Lifestyle Programme.
 

Initiated by Executive Mayor Mpho Parks Tau, the programme is aimed at encouraging residents, including the City’s employees, to engage in physical activities such as running and walking, and eating healthy to significantly bring down the number of people suffering from chronic diseases and conditions such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and heart diseases.
 

This is expected to improve life expectancy in the city. 

The programme, which is also being extended to restaurants and other eateries in Johannesburg to promote a healthy diet, is in line with the City’s Growth and Development Strategy 2040 (GDS 2040), which states that by 2040 Johannesburg will have a healthy community free of chronic diseases.
 

Oupa Montsioa, the City’s Region F Health Manager, was highly impressed with the large turnout, particularly by the youth.

Among those who took part in the fun walk was Ward Councillor Sydney Radebe.

Montsioa described the day – which included aerobics, various kinds of dance, netball and five-a-side football – as a huge success.

He said he was grateful for the role played by stakeholders such as Virgin Active; Old Mutual; Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute; South African National Cancer Association; Centre for HIV and Aids Prevention Studies (CHAPS), a non-governmental organisation that encourages the youth to undergo circumcision; Johannesburg Market; and the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts & Culture and Recreation.
 

Montsioa said it had been proved that circumcision reduced the infection rate of sexually transmitted diseases by 60%.

He, however, warned that the City did not encourage people having sex without using a condom.

He emphasised that the GDS 2040 encouraged residents to embrace a healthy style by exercising regularly and eating healthy, which would lead to a life expectancy of 70 years.
 

Montsioa urged the youth to refrain from drug and alcohol abuse, which he said was a major challenge facing the community.  

Councillor Radebe also said the turnout was excellent despite the bad weather.