There is going to be a new look to the Western Cape Provincial building - pictures of politicians will be taken down and replaced.
|||Cape Town - There is going to be a new look to the Western Cape Provincial building this month - pictures of politicians will be taken down in the media room and those of our winning Paralympians will go up instead.
That was the promise from Premier Helen Zille on Tuesday when she feted the athletes at a special lunch.
“We will take down the pictures of politicians and hang up your pictures, because your tremendous performance is evident that despite your disabilities you can perform very well,” Zille told them. The pictures to come down are of Zille, President Zuma and Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe.
The gold medallists from Cape Town were Ilse Hays, Arno Fourie, Fanie van der Merwe and Charl Bouers.
Competitors from the Western Cape won 18 of the 29 medals won by the SA team.
Jonathan Ntutu, 26, who is visually impaired, won a bronze medal in the 100m. He said he called his mother, Sylvia, before every race as she calmed his nerves.
Hailing from Gugulethu, Ntutu was the first South African to take part in the 100m race in his category.
“It was a tremendous honour, I would have loved to claim gold but it was not for me,” Ntutu said.
Charles Bouers, a 400m runner, won two silver and one gold medal at the Games and said he is happy with the overall performance.
“I long for the atmosphere in London. Preparing for the Games was tough but I enjoyed it. Now it is back to reality,” he said.
MEC for Cultural Affairs and Sports Ivan Meyer said: “Our province’s disabled athletes have changed the perception and stigma attached to being disabled for the good.”
jason.felix@inl.co.za
Cape Times