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DIABETES, SPORTS FOUNDATION SETS MHLUME ON FIRE

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MBABANE – A day well spent in sports and fun. The Mhlume Homecoming Festival that was held under the Bruce Gama Diabetes and Sports Foundation banner was a blast.

Families, corporate companies, organisations and members of the public, who attended the event held, at Mhlume Country Club on Saturday did not only spend the day doing sporting activities but also joined the movement of educating the nation about diabetes. The foundations’ objective is to establish a more educated community about diabetes and how to manage the condition.


Some of the activities of the day comprised tennis shootout contests, seven-a-side soccer games and athletics. One of the foundation’s main sponsors, Eswatini MTN, treated the attendants to free mobile data and smart phones which were sold for as little as E300. Business owners also got an opportunity to market their products and services to the crowd. Despite the scotching 40 degrees Celsius temperatures, the attendants continued to engage themselves in the numerous sports while little children enjoyed playing on the jumping castle and water slide.


The pioneer of the Foundation in tennis ace, Bruce Gama, expressed his appreciation to everyone who contributed to the success of the event and shared the foundation’s vision. Gama is a national tennis icon and has been living with diabetes for 12 years.


impressive


“The turnout is impressive and thanks to everyone who supported the foundation’s vision. This is a family fun day where we are preaching and promoting healthy living through exercise,   healthy eating and educating the nation about this chronic disease. As a sportsman living with diabetes, my dream is to encourage people to get tested for diabetes and teach them how to properly manage it. The proceeds of the gate takings and donations will go into helping people living with diabetes and buying them medication,” said Gama.


Speaking on behalf of team Eswatini Television, Communication and Branding Officer, Nomcebo Malinga said it was an honour for them to be part of the event. She said it was important for them as a broadcasting company to lead by example by joining the foundation’s initiative. 
“We have a role to play in informing and educating the nation as a broadcasting station. Diabetes is a less talked about disease.


knowledgeable


People normally fear to disclose their diagnosis because of stigma. It is high time that people get to learn about it and be knowledgeable on how to properly manage it because this disease can affect anyone, regardless of gender, age or race,” said Malinga.


A group of police officers were also present to ensure public safety. Station Officer Sipho Dlamini commended the organisers of the event, which he hailed as a good initiative that would benefit the nation. He highlighted that other chronic diseases such as HIV/AIDS were given abundant attention, but not so much with diabetes. Dlamini reached out to the nation to support the foundation’s movement and mentioned that healthy eating and exercise were the first steps in dealing with diabetics.

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