RURAL athlete, Aviwe Hoboloshe, travelled to Nairobi in Kenya with a smile, confident and with a winning mentality, after being decorated with gifts from various sport stakeholders during her send off last week.
The 19-year-old athlete from Elliotdale is representing the country in the u/20 World Athletics Championships, which started on August 1 and will end on Sunday, August 22.
She will be competing in the 800m category.
Among the gifts received for her achievements, the Department of Education in the province donated five laptops to Hoboloshe’s school, Gwebityala S.S.S.; Eastern Cape Education MEC, Fundile Gade, offered an iPad to Hoboloshe, in order to study while in Kenya; Jenn Marematlou Company donated an amount of R15 000 to the athlete and Gade further provided Aviwe with training resources worth R5 000.
In addition to that, the EC MEC of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Fezeka Nkomonye, donated sports clothes to the athlete and she surprised the Hoboloshe family by revealing that the athlete will now receive a monthly salary.
Delivering his speech, Gade urged government to take the money to rural areas to develop skills.
He said, “We appreciate everybody that contributed in ensuring that Aviwe becomes one of the icons in the sports academy today.
“We have made sure, as the Department of Education, that we contribute as well for her to be able to learn while abroad so that we are able to get maximum results.”
“It is then imperative, as well, to make sure that we mobilise resources across the business sector, from which there has been a positive response,” Gade said.
He thanked the businesses involved and promised them that Aviwe’s school would benefit from the donations.
Meanwhile, Nkomonye has encouraged Hoboloshe to make the country proud by winning the gold medal in Kenya.
“I want to see you competing in the next Olympics Games in France (in 2024),” Nkomonye said.
