As the MEC Champion for King Cetshwayo District, we have today, launched the Healthy Lifestyle Campaign at the Vuma Youth Development Academy in uMlalazi Municipality.

Together with uMlalazi Municipality Mayor Cllr Thelumoya Zulu, we led a government delegation and traditional  leaders to promote healthy lifestyle.

The leadership took part in aerobics before handing over food packs to needy families. Sport kits were also donated to Vuma Youth Development Centre and Ntumeni Care Centre for senior citizens.

This event took place under strict COVID-19 regulations to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

As we get our people to be active we are addressing many health issues, like obesity and other lifestyle diseases.

We also achieve social cohesion as people get to know each other better. We are building healthy bodies and minds for our children and adults alike.

We are fighting drugs and substance abuse by keeping our youth occupied and improving the economic status of young people who are able to develop their talent further.

We should always ensure that we exercise our bodies so that we remain healthy. I'm very thankful to the elderly for coming out in your numbers, you are leading by example and we hope that the youth before us today will carry the baton of leading a healthy lifestyle.

As the provincial government, we are very concerned about the social ills that are ravaging the youth in our areas.  We want the youth in townships and other areas to take better care of their health and not be found loitering in taverns.

The launch of the healthy lifestyle strategy is part of interventions by the provincial government in response to many lifestyle-related health problems faced by communities.

The outbreak of Covid-19 also made it critical that we encourage our people to engage in exercises and eat healthy food.

Hence this Healthy Lifestyle programme ties in well with our food security programmes that we encourage as the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, including the one-home-one garden. Exercising and eating healthy goes hand in hand.

Working in your own garden does not only ensure that we have fresh vegetables for our families, but also helps us in exercising our bodies.

This Healthy Lifestyle programme is being launched in different districts and it is implemented as part of the District Development Model that our government is now implementing, to ensure that government services are delivered in an integrated fashion at ward level.