Thousands of people are expected to attend the King Toni Mphephu RamabulanaMusangwe Heritage event that will take place at the Nandoni Royal Gardens tomorrow (Friday).

The event will start with a 15 km health walk. King Mphephu said that the main idea of the health walk was to keep people fit and inform them about health. The walk will start at Lufule at 08:00 and finish at Nandoni. He expects that more than 10 000 people will participate.

He commended the organisers for keeping the communities fit. "You are not only winding up time by walking," he said. "You are keeping your bodies healthy and you must remember that a healthy body has a healthy mind. Let’s do away with the idea that elders are supposed to sit at home, doing nothing until sunset."

According to Mphephu Ramabulana, the cultural event was planned to showcase the cultural diversity of Vhembe. During events like these, the traditional leaders celebrate the uniqueness of their culture, he added. He also mentioned in an interview that the royal council is committed to preserving the Venda culture "and they felt bound to support the tournament, as musangwe formed part of the Venda culture."

He praised the organisers for bringing back the forgotten cultural sport.

Musangwe boss Mr Patrick Ramarada said he was expecting thousands of people at the ring at this year's final. "The fights were started by our ancestors and our event is supported by the local traditional leaders," Ramarada said. “Preparations have been finalised, and with the blessings of the traditional leaders, escpecially King Toni Mphephu Ramababulana, nothing is going to stop the event from being a success,” added Ramarada.

A local fighter, Steven Ndiitwani, said he was more than ready. “Anybody who challenges me should be ready for the consequences. I will face any challenge,” he said.