A group of Sports Heroes set off on a gruelling 1 500km walk to Northern Cape, from Soweto's Maponya Mall, to raise funds for charity.

Sports heroes embark on their 1500km walk to Kimberley
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)

JOBURGERS turned out in their numbers to see off their sports heroes, who began a 14-day Walk Against Aids from the city of gold to Kimberley, at Maponya Mall, in Soweto.

The walk is being held to highlight the fight against HIV and Aids, and ends in the old diamond-mining town in Northern Cape province. Beginning on Monday, 17 November, members of the public were invited to accompany the sports heroes on the first 10 kilometres of the 1 500km walk.

The Sport Heroes Walk Against Aids campaign was initiated in 2002 by SABC sports presenter Cynthia Tshaka. It is a non-profit organisation of sports players who want to get involved in the fight against HIV/Aids. Each year, they walk through a different province, raising funds for various charities.

This year, Kaizer Chiefs' players and coach have joined world boxing champions Baby Jake Matlala and Lehlohonolo Ledwaba, marathon runner Willie Mtolo, former Springbok wing Khaya Malotana, former Banyana Banyana captain Desree Ellis and fellow footballers Veronica Phewa and Janine van Wyk, karate champion Artulu Ballosini, cricketer Daleen Terblanche, and Tshaka on the walk.

Speaking on behalf of the executive mayor at the start, Nandi Mayathula-Khoza, the member of the mayoral committee for community development, said the Sports Heroes were our shining stars.

"We salute you for not allowing yourselves to be internally focused, for remaining relevant irrespective of your level of performance within the sport fraternity. History has taught us that being a sports hero can be harsh as we continue to see heroes' rising and falling. I appeal to you to have sustainable programmes for the community and your families."

Mayathula-Khoza is the acting executive mayor during Executive Mayor Amos Masondo's absence.

She said she was confident that "together we are better positioned to effectively deliver services, especially to the poorest of them all, to those households that are child-headed, to those grandmothers that are holding a torch for those children who lost their parents because of the HIV and Aids pandemic".

The member of the mayoral committee for health, Tshidi Mfikoe, thanked people for participating in the walk. It had contributed to the campaign to improve awareness about HIV and Aids.

"We will mobilise resources vigorously to fight the HIV and Aids pandemic."

Mmbabala Mbetha from Sports Heroes was happy with the turn-out and the interest the Sports Heroes were attracting to the campaign.

"The Kaizer Chiefs team joined the campaign yesterday and because these heroes have fans who follow them everywhere they go, the more people we have participating the better. There were also people who walked 10 kilometres of the 1 500km walk in Joburg."

Wayne Minnaar, the metro police spokesperson, said motorists had responded well to roadblocks during the walk. "They adhered to signals and cones that were set in the routes the walkers took."

Proceeds from this year's walk will go to the Makeba Rehabilitation Centre for Girls in Midrand, which was established by the late Miriam Makeba.

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