Vhembe Magogos have taken local athletic circles by storm. This became evident when they participated in the Mukula Elders’ Fun Run Against Human Abuse on Saturday.

The oldest of them was 72. They forgot about their troubles and advanced age to show their grandchildren that they are still strong enough to run like youngsters. They also put their walking sticks aside for a while to display their running abilities and some of them were as courageous as teenagers.

The Fun Run was organized by the Thohoyandou Victim Empowerment Programme (TVEP), an organization that fights against human abuse.

The 1km Fun Run started at Mukula Secondary School, outside Thohoyandou, and the winning point was at Takalani Royal Palace. "The Fun Run is meant to break the silence on abuse that is done to women, especially the senior citizens. We want to send a clear message that human abuse is unacceptable and we decided to display our concern through the Fun Run. We first had some awareness sessions about human abuses before the actual Fun Run started," said Rendani Ligudu, TVEP’s Campaigns Coordinator.

One of the participants, Nyadzanga Likhavha (72), said she heard about the fun run at the pension pay point and decided to join. "I wanted to be part of history and to be a shining example to my grandchildren that I can still make an impact, regardless of my age. I have never participated in a fun run and I feel like a newly born calf. I was so courageous that I even forgot that I suffer from leg pains and ran like hell to the finishing point. Thank God I took position four. Apart from the physical training we received, we have leant that it is not good to keep quiet if one is a victim of abuse."

She encourages other senior citizens to take part in sports, to keep themselves fit. "Exercise reduces the chances of being attacked by diseases like high blood pressure and heart failure. I hope other grannies will learn from us that it is possible to participate in sports, regardless of one’s age."