Cheers like "Mbesuma", "Jomo Sono", "Ace" and "Jabu Pule" were the order of the day during the Thulamela Senior Citizen Soccer Day held Malamulele Stadium on Friday.

The communication officer of the Thulamela Municipality, Mr Nndwamato Tshiila, said the games were aimed at encouraging the elders to live a positive life and to improve their health. "Besides that, there is a need for the elders from the Thulamela Municipality to come together and build a lasting relationship among themselves. Over and above that, the games were also meant to select a solid team that would represent the municipality at district and provincial levels."

Elders above 55 years from different wards of the Thulamela Municipality forgot their advanced ages and ran like teenagers in the very entertaining, historic games. Old ladies and men alike dribbled past each other energetically while hundreds of spectators cheered in amazement at the skills displayed by the old players on the pitch. The games started on a high note when four zones battled for supremacy, although the pitch was wet as a result of the rain that kept on pouring throughout the tournament. Elders from the different wards of the municipality participated at ward levels and thereafter formed four zones that represent different wards."

The first game was between Zone 6 and Zone 4. Lady Luck deserted Zone 6 when they were walloped 3 – 2. Another game was between Zone 5 and Zone 7, where Zone 7 displayed their skills by beating their rivals 6 – 0. In the finals, Zone 6 became the champions after beating Zone 7 by two goals to one.

One of the old ladies who participated in the tournament, Nyamukamadi Munyai (60), said "This is helping to restore my health and I will never stop playing this game because it makes me feel younger again. I used to suffer from different diseases, but since I started playing soccer, I feel healthy and stronger." Another pensioner, Jackson Mudau (69), challenged the youth to take part in sports rather than engage themselves in criminal activities. "They must learn from us who are leading by example. Besides keeping you healthy, sports promotes friendship and brings people together."