Participants from various sports federations and organizations during a training session for Safeguarding in Sport.

AS PER national sporting regulations, all sport structures in South Africa are required to have a Safeguarding Policy in place. This policy is required by all sport federations at all levels. To ensure compliance, the City’s Sports Development and Recreation Department will be conducting safeguarding training and education for all eThekwini federations and local sporting structures.

The training course aims to ensure that children and vulnerable adults participating in sports in eThekwini are protected and safe. The sports Safeguarding Awareness Certificate (SAC) equips people volunteering or employed in any sports environment to play a role in preventing abuse, harassment, or exploitation of athletes. Through this training, the City wants to ensure that sports clubs, federations, and sporting organisations -including coaches in schools -are trained to have skills and knowledge to prevent athletes from experiencing any harm or abuse.

The SAC course also looks at how sports organisations can implement policies and procedures to protect children and vulnerable adults from non-accidental harm. It also gives advice to facilitators (coaches, teachers, and peer leaders) on best practices and on how to engage participants and the wider community to help keep them safe from harm. Acting Deputy Head of Sports Development and Recreation Bongiwe Majola is excited about the safe sport journey the department is taking. She said promoting safe sport education and training among stakeholders will majorly contribute to the understanding and implementation of safeguarding sport in eThekwini. “Sports should be safe, inclusive, and enjoyable for all participants,” she said.

Majola said safeguarding in sports is a critical aspect that cannot be overlooked as it is a shared responsibility among all individuals involved in sports. The Sport Development and Recreation Department has planned for a series of safeguarding training courses throughout the year which will target different sporting federations, wards, and district sport structures. The department also plans to formulate a Safeguarding in Sport Policy as well as an app to report the abuse of players.