The latest 2023 Netball World Cup legacy mural will add colour to the Desmond Tutu Recreation Centre which is in the process of being restored.
The facility was vandalised during protests in 2020 in which the building and other amenities were gutted by fire.
The City, through its Recreation and Parks Department, has since rebuilt the facility and restored services.
During its restoration process, the Department added new netball courts and a basketball court to the recreation centre.
Through the City’s Events Department, a new 2,87m x 5,54m mural has been installed to beautify the facility’s main building.
‘The Desmond Tutu Recreation Centre is the perfect example of the spirit we want this world to represent not just for Cape Town but for South Africa as a whole. That despite any challenges in our way, we are able to rise to the occasion and deliver the best. We are thrilled that today we are able to bring the awareness about the Netball World Cup to Makhaza where Netball is one of the fastest growing sports and we believe the tournament will help elevate the status of the sport for the better in this area,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
At the same time, Khayelitsha is among eight communities who are part of the Sporting Chance Street Netball programme supported by the City in the build up to the world cup.
The City, through the Events as well as the Recreation and Parks departments, is partnering with the Sporting Chance Development Foundation for the Street Netball initiative.
The inaugural street netball programme, which kicked off two weeks ago, sees over 760 junior netball players from Grassy Park, Elsies River, Mitchells Plain, Khayelitsha, Langa, Mfuleni, Ocean View and Nomzamo take part in street netball games every Friday for eight weeks.
‘It’s a momentous occasion to not only give back a restored facility to the community, but at the same time, we are creating awareness of the impact netball has on the community. Participating in a sport unites communities and at the same time, we are ensuring our physical and mental well-being.
‘The Recreation and Parks Department is committed to enhancing facilities across the city, which will enable as many of our residents as possible to participate,’ said Councillor Patricia van der Ross, Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health.
Regional finals are planned for Youth Day, 16 June 2023, and the festival finale will take place in the City of Cape Town’s Fan Park outside the CTICC to coincide with the 2023 Vitality Netball World Cup.
