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Cllr Siyaphi Shirilele (centre) congratulates Lillian Muleya (left) and Rosina Mukumba shortly after the prize-giving ceremony in Manzini, Swaziland.
Sport - Date: 18 October 2018
“There is nothing more fulfilling than being counted among the best while competing in a foreign country”. So says Musina Municipality’s own Zola Budd, Lillian Muleya, who recently came second during a 10km race in Manzini, Swaziland.
Muleya was joined by another municipal employee, Rosina Mukumba, who finished in the top 10 in the race. Muleya and Mukumba were competing with fellow athletes from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Zambia and Swaziland.
The race was part of the week-long sporting activities organized by the Southern Africa Inter-Municipal Sports Association (SAIMSA). SAIMSA aims to build friendship among municipal workers in Southern Africa and to encourage healthy lifestyles by municipal workers through taking part in sports.
Muleya is not a novice and won several medals in previous SAIMSA tournaments. In 2016, she won the 5km race in Lesotho and last year she won the event during the SAIMSA tournament in Middelburg, Mpumalanga. This year, she went a step further by participating in the 10km race.
She said although her goal was to take the first position, she was not disappointed with the result. “I was competing with seasoned professional athletes and the race was very tough. The race was a learning curve to me and I will definitely improve my performance during the next tournament.”
She said she had trained very hard for the race and she gave herself time to rehearse. “I ran 10km daily in the morning before going to work and went to gym every Saturday and Sunday. This was to make sure that I would be fit when the race approached. I am delighted that I did not sweat in vain for all those days.”
Muleya and Mukumba thanked their employer, Musina Municipality, for giving them the opportunity to realise their potential. “We would not have achieved this if it were not the support from our employer. We also thank our colleagues who were there to give us courage while we were running the race. We will definitely bring better results during the next competitions.”
Municipal spokesperson Wilson Dzebu said the institution was very proud of Muleya and Mukumba. “They are representing us very well and we will make sure that we give them full support.”