Green light: City’s Patricia van der Ross, centre. Picture: supplied
There is some good news for spinning lovers as an agreement between non-profit organisation Kaapstad 021 SPIN and the City’s Recreation and Parks Department will see a section of the Lentegeur Sports Ground being made available for practice purposes to spinkoppe.
This is the first agreement of its kind for the City and will also act as a pilot to consider other sites around the metropole, where members of the spin fraternity have indicated high participation interest.
Jonathan Schaffers, the chairman of SPIN (Supporting People In Need) in Mitchells Plain expressed his excitement and said that it was a long journey to get to this point as the initiative was established to keep kids busy, but spinning was considered illegal.
“We wanted to show the City of Cape Town that we can structure it and make it safe. The sport is growing in our communities and we have youngsters who are not interested in netball or soccer but they’re interested in cars.”
Chris Hadji, from Kaapstad 021 SPIN, added, “SPIN is more than an informal motorsport. We are a registered Non-Profit Company (NPC) that supports people of all backgrounds with the proceeds we make from events, prizes at competitions or simply just through offering an alternative sport to the young and older people in our communities.”
Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Patricia van der Ross said they have spent over two years finding an amicable way forward and are excited to have reached this milestone.
“We have searched the metro to find a suitable location to accommodate the group in a safe space, suitable for their needs and appropriate to community dynamics.
“It is important to note that spinning practice, unlike formal events, is not considered an event and does not require an event permit.
“However, any spinning events still require an event permit under restrictive safety conditions, in addition to meeting other compliance measures.”
marsha.dean@inl.co.za
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