​On Thursday September 20 residents of the township joined officials of both the City of Joburg and Green Outdoor Gym to officially open a fully equipped, modern outdoor gym in Kremetart Street, Extension 3. The park was identified as an ideal home for the outdoor gym after a thorough consultation process between City Parks and Green Outdoor Gym.
 
The gym in the park was built within the context of the City’s 2040 Vision, which calls for the establishment of “neighbourhoods where all can find a place to live a good quality of life with access to work and social amenities – clinics, libraries and public squares”.
Green Outdoor Gym, City and City Park officials mingled freely with members of the community during the occasion.
 
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Development Cllr Chris Vondo encouraged residents to make use of the gym but also called on them to look after it.
 
“It is through gyms like these that we’ll contribute to the improvement of the lives of people in our communities. We have already seen a significant increase in the number of people going to similar gyms in other areas.”
 
Vondo said the council had identified 20 additional parks throughout the City where similar gyms would be built. “In keeping with the saying that a healthy mind is a healthy body, we’ll accomplish what we’ve planned and continue to contribute to a healthy lifestyle among the people,” said Vondo.
 
He appealed to residents to be proud of the new-look park, which previously had only a few facilities specifically for children. “The whole community can now come and enjoy these facilities because they are not limited to a certain section of the community. We believe that building these gyms in parks under our jurisdiction will go a long way towards addressing inadequate physical training facilities. We want to see a resilient and vibrant community,” said Vondo. 
 
The partnership between the City and Green Outdoor Gym started in 2008 and has resulted in several gyms being built in Soweto, Sandton and Diepsloot.
 
Green Outdoor Gym representative Tom Hogins said: “When the concept was first mooted, it sounded impossible. But three years down the line, we’ve made it. We’ll continue to work with the City to build more gyms.”
 
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