The Makhado Municipality, in collaboration with the Vhembe District Municipality, honoured the gold medal winner of the men’s 800 meters at the World Athletic Championships in Berlin, Mbulaheni Tongai Mulaudzi, during a special celebratory event held at the Louis Trichardt show grounds last Friday.

The HOD of the Department of Sports Arts and Culture, Mr Meshack Mulaudzi, said that his department was happy and proud of the Makhado Municipality for having organized such a welcoming event for Mulaudzi, who hails from the Kutama area. He said Mbulaheni was not only a hero in Makhado, Limpopo and South Africa, but recognised as a hero worldwide. “Young people of our province must emulate what Mulaudzi has achieved,” he said.

During the ceremony Mbulaheni received tokens of appreciation from the executive mayor of the Vhembe District Municipality, Cllr Philemon Mdaka, and the mayor of Makhado Municipality, Cllr Mavhungu Luruli. Mdaka said the celebration was taking place in the district where Mbulaheni was born. He said it was very exciting to be in the company of a world champion. “The Vhembe District is indeed a place of successful people. What you have achieved does not come cheaply, but through commitment. Your success is our success,” he said.

Mdaka donated a Trojan Treadmill training machine to Mulaudzi. According to the mayor of Makhado Municipality, Cllr Mavhungu Luruli, the event was a symbol of encouragement to the young people of Makhado Municipality, to refrain from engaging in criminal activities, drugs and alcohol abuse and follow in Mulaudzi´s footsteps. “We need to have more than ten world-recognised athletes like Mbulaheni in our municipality. He has put our municipality on the map,” said Luruli.

Mulaudzi, who is a resident of Muduluni village in the Kutama area, is a South African middle-distance runner and the current world champion in the men’s 800 metres event. Mulaudzi carried the flag at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, for his native country. His best season so far has been 2004, when he won the World Indoor Championships and an Olympic silver medal. He also won a silver medal during the 2006 World Indoor Championships. He became South Africa´s first black athlete to be ranked number one in the world. Mulaudzi made the 800 metre final at four consecutive World Athletics Championships.

In response, Mbulaheni Mulaudzi said that he was happy to see that he was not only appreciated internationally, but also in Makhado where he was born. “I feel very honoured and I am happy for the support I am receiving here at the place where I was born. This is really an honour to me,” he said.