The Gauteng Department of Social Development once again teamed up with the Department of Sport, Arts, Culture, and Recreation and other partners to present the popular Regional Golden Games for senior citizens.
Last week, 24 August 2023, more than 500 senior citizens from the Johannesburg region gathered at Ruimsig Stadium near Roodepoort to participate in the annual Regional Golden Games.
These games are for people 60 years and older, and part of Government's Older Persons Programme. They also aim to empower senior citizens to stay active and continue to enjoy a healthy and purposeful life.
All the participants representing their clubs and organizations took part in various activities and fun games ranging from track athletics to jukskei, duck walk, dress up, ball throwing, and pass the ball among others.
One of the participants from Soweto was 72-year-old, Connie Mashawana, who was participating in passing the ball game, she said that the games are good for their health and well-being. She indicated that the activities are fun, and they get an opportunity to interact with their peers from different areas.
"I enjoy the games as they help us to stay active, and we age gracefully without many illnesses, and I am looking forward to the provincial games", she said.
Another participant, 61-year-old Dianne Cupido, who is 200m runner said although it is her first time experiencing senior citizens games, she enjoyed them a lot and will be part of the activities every year. She praised government for the initiative, saying it's good for their health.
"It is activities like this that can bring us together and help reduce the old age-related burden of diseases", she added.
The regional games will be a feeder to the provincial games.