Pretoria - Cabinet has commended Team South Africa for winning nine medals at the Rio Paralympics currently underway in Brazil.
“Cabinet joins the nation in commending the performance of Team South Africa who are at the Rio 2016 Paralympics. These athletes are making our nation proud and continue to build on our stellar reputation of performing well at the Paralympics,” Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Jeff Radebe, said on Thursday.
The Minister was briefing media following Cabinet’s fortnightly meeting.
Minister Radebe said the athletes are making South Africa proud having thus far won three gold, three silver and three bronze medals.
“Cabinet congratulates the following athletes for winning gold medals: swimmer Kevin Paul, Hilton Langenhoven in long jump and Charl du Toit in the 100-metre track,” said the Minister.
The games which began on 7 September are due to conclude on Sunday.
Commonwealth Games
Meanwhile, Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting was also briefed on the progress made regarding preparations for the Commonwealth Games 2022 to be staged in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
“Investment in infrastructure for the Games is expected to contribute to the lasting benefits of the host city, which will also make use of the infrastructure legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup,” said Minister Radebe.
The Minister said the added exposure to global markets will also provide opportunities to attract and enhance tourism and foreign direct investment into South Africa.
“The 2022 Commonwealth Games is expected to deliver up to R20 billion in output to the economy, translating into an additional R11 billion GDP growth.”
According to Cabinet, this will further position South Africa as a sport tourism destination and also provides opportunities for Team South Africa. – SAnews.gov.za
