The Joza Indoor Sports Centre
You would be forgiven for not believing that an unassuming building that looks like a run-down and neglected factory could be the answer to one of the main problems in the ward 5 and 6 Makana Municipality district. After hosting a community meeting at the Extension 9 Community Hall in August this year, it became apparent to outsiders that there is a problem of the youth getting involved in drugs and crime in this area. Residents of wards 5 and 6 stressed the importance of having safe places for their children to play and stay out of trouble or temptation. One brave youth stood up at the meeting and shared his idea that if there were more places for the youth to hang out then there would be less crime in the area.
And that is where the Joza Indoor Sports Centre in ward 6 comes in. Despite being under equipped and short staffed the sports centre is filled with children laughing, playing and training every day. When you first enter the sports centre you are taken aback by the lively atmosphere as the exterior, especially on a rainy day when there are no children playing outside, does well to hide the potential of the facility. The inside is basically a huge hall that is divided into two courts that are used for netball and basketball. There are a few hoops and recently also an old make-shift boxing rink. There is also a small gym enclosed by a wire fence in the corner.
The office which is situated near the front door is the work space of Lennox Habana, the sports centre’s caretaker. Habana has been working at the sports centre for nine years and has therefore witnessed both its up and downs. He reminisces over when the sports centre was flourishing in 2002. It has in the past hosted sports days as well as training clinics but in recent years funding and the number of coaches have been lacking, which has restricted what the sports centre can do. Yet he is hopeful and believes that the centre is a haven for the youth and that together with the community and municipality the sports centre can be improved upon and that other centres like it can be opened.
Currently the sports centre is understaffed as it can only afford to pay a few permanent coaches and volunteers have been scarce. Yet people like Habana and the coaches that are there remain positive and try to do as much as they can. Coaches teach the children how to play a wide variety of sports such as netball, volleyball, soccer, basketball, aerobics, Tae Bo and boxing. Boxing in particular seems to be a favourite amongst the children young and old, male and female. There are even quite a few young girls who have joined the boxing training course and spar against each other in the rink, to the cheers of the other children. Up and coming boxers from the community also train at the centre as there is a small gym area, but this weights area needs to be expanded and new equipment received as the little equipment they do have is old and worn through.
Former American professional basketball player and the current coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson once said:
"Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the ‘me’ for the ‘we.’"
This is what the sports centre represents and is striving to achieve. It is trying to show how with the help of the Makana Municipality, the community and Grahamstown residents sport can act against crime and provide a safe environment for children to grow and learn essential life skills while having fun.
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| Wards 5 and 6 are filled with children and young adults who have nothing to do and nowhere to go play. Many resort to playing on the dirt roads which are littered with rubbish and are not a safe environment. Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 17 September 2010. © Tarryn Liddell |
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The Joza Indoor Sports Centre in ward 6 provides a safe environment for the children in the area. Children come from far to play the many sports on offer or even just to train or hang out with friends. Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 14 September 2010. © Tarryn Liddell |
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| Lennox Habana, the caretaker, reminisces over when the sports centre was flourishing in 2002. The sports centre used to host sports days as well as training clinics but in recent years funding and the number of coaches have been lacking, which has restricted what the sports centre can do. Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 20 September 2010. © Tarryn Liddell |
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| Boxing is one of the most popular activities at the sports centre for all ages. A young boy spars against one of the older coaches. Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 21 September 2010. © Tarryn Liddell |
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| While netball and basketball games are played indoors some children start their own games of soccer outside the sports centre in the nets provided. Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 14 September 2010. © Tarryn Liddell |
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| Young adults also visit the sports centre to train with the weights and attend boxing training. Opening more centres like this one in the local communities has the potential to help stop children and young adults from getting involved in drugs and crime. Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 27 September 2010. © Tarryn Liddell |
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| The Joza Indoor Sports Centre is a haven for the youth in the community and has great potential to provide entertainment, skills and opportunities for the youth in the area. Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 14 September 2010. © Tarryn Liddell |
