On Monday, hundreds of residents from the rural village of Dzimauli and surrounding communities in the Mutale area participated in the annual 10,5-kilometre fun walk, which started at the St Augustine School at Tshandama Crossing and ended at the Dzimauli Tshakhumba Sports Grounds. Cultural dances and a one-day soccer tournament, played by four teams, were also added to the day's agenda.
The fun walk is the brainchild of the Dzimauli Development Foundation. One of the organisers, Mashudu Rasila, said the aim of the fun walk, cultural dances and soccer tournament was to bring communities together to celebrate their heritage.
Thovhele Ratshibvumo II Rambuda and Thulamela Mayor Athingozwidivha Sarah Rambuda were among the participants. Rambuda encouraged her communities to maintain a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise. She applauded the organisers of the event for getting communities to participate. "It has been very exciting to be part of the fun walk, walking along the route with communities from the Harammbuda jurisdiction. I'm also excited about the turnout of people who participated. This in itself shows that the people from this area take responsibility for their own health," she said.
Thovhele Rambuda said that, as traditional leaders, they were always happy when communities organised themselves and did things that their bodies benefitted from. "We are the custodians of the people, and when communities keep themselves busy on the weekends and holidays, it pleases us because then less crime will be reported. We also like to encourage our communities to take part in the different cultural dances, such as the tshikona, tshigombela and malende, reminding them not to forget their culture," he said.