It was a day of fun and plenty for children at the Ruimsig Athletic Stadium
Rain failed to dampen the delight of hundreds of orphans and vulnerable children at a City Christmas party.
YET another Christmas party was thrown by the City for its orphans and vulnerable children, this time on a lazy Wednesday in Region C.
The party was hosted on 5 December, amid erratic weather, by the City's department of sports and recreation and Hope Worldwide South Africa. It was Joburg's third instalment of its annual Christmas party jamboree for orphans and vulnerable children.
Children were delighted to play a variety of fun games at the stadium
Celebrations were at the Ruimsig Stadium, in the west of Johannesburg, a sports ground overlooking the leafy suburb of Ruimsig. Almost 650 orphans and vulnerable children from Alexandra, Diepsloot, Itsoseng, Thabo Mbeki, and Zandspruit, aged between four and 17 years old, converged for an early Christmas.
Wearing brightly coloured T-shirts bearing the names of their areas, the children chilled out in the shade of the grandstands, squealing with exuberance, dancing, and cheering on their teams when they played fun games.
The aim behind the annual party was to increase comprehensive and integrated care and support for orphans and vulnerable children, holistically, socially, physically, and emotionally, noted Connie Molefe, the sports and recreation co-ordinator in Region C.
It was designed for the children to interact with one another, build friendships, play educational games and take part in life skills programmes. They would also learn about crime fighting and fire prevention, among other priorities.
"This should [help] in improving their self-esteem and confidence, providing them with a sense of belonging, opportunity to learn together and be capacitated," she said.
The sun slowly pierced the clouds, brightening the stadium in time for the Johannesburg Zoo display. Called Zoo to You, the programme was established to give underprivileged children the opportunity to visit the zoo.
Children got to see zoo animals, including a corn snake, up close
First up was an Australian blue tongue skink, an omnivore that feeds on insects and flowers. There was also a rabbit, a hedgehog, a corn snake, and a ferret. The Johannesburg Zoo promoted education and conservation, the kids were told.
"This is a special day organised for you, so make the most of it," encouraged Mickey Venter, the area manager, adding that the council had worked hard to put the event together.
The children later got an opportunity to strut their stuff, showcasing some of their finest dance moves, and marking the highlight of the day.
Honeydew police captain John Masingi spoke about the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign, and told the kids to "take care of yourselves". He advised them to stay away from drugs and other intoxicating substances, as well as acts that could get them on the wrong side of the law.
An emergency management services (EMS) representative, Jones Mphathi, also warned the children to stop making false alarm calls. He said that out of the 1 300 calls the EMS received a day, 800 were false alarms. "If you continue with such acts, the EMS won't be able to attend to priority situations in time," Mphathi said.
Despite the serious messages they received, the delighted children played games all day, ran around and teased each other.
The party was hosted by Region C and Hope Worldwide South Africa, a non-governmental organisation that assists HIV-positive people and offers voluntary HIV testing and counselling. Other stakeholders were Joburg Water, the South African Police Service, Johannesburg Zoo, Pikitup, emergency management services and the environmental health unit.
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