Zifa vice-president Ndumiso Gumede has lamented the “rot” that has characterised sport in the country, saying it is regrettable that age cheating especially in schools comes with the blessings of the teachers.
Gumede, who headed the committee which investigated the Asiagate scandal that has seen close to 100 football players suspended from national duty on allegations of match-fixing, yesterday officially opened the 2012 Zone B Zimbabwe Teachers’ Colleges Sports Association (ZITCOSA) Games which are being hosted by Hillside Teachers’ College.
“One of the most enduring aspects of sport has been mastering the techniques and tactics. These have been honed over time and have produced great athletes like Muhammad Ali.
“Sadly today, commercialised sport and even sport at local levels have been characterised by deception, manufacturing of results and outright cheating.
“At school level, age cheats have participated in wrong age groups with blessings of teachers. Locally and internationally, the use and abuse of drugs in sport has seen many a famous athletes leave the sport in disgrace.
“It is my sincere hope that at this level and beyond such practices would not be found nor tolerated. I often wonder whether through all this, sport is mutating into a monster that consumes its participants and horrifies its followers,” Gumede said.
Hillside, United College of Education (UCE) and Mkoba Teachers’ College yesterday took part in the track and field competitions at the National University of Science and Technology with the hosts dominating the games.
Passionate Ncube of Hillside was the winner of the men’s 100m race clocking 11,19 seconds while his colleague Melusi Muusha came second in 11,24 seconds while UCE’s Remember Ncube was position three in 12,03 seconds.
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In the women’s section, Hillside’s Caron Chishamba picked up gold after she was home in 13,13 seconds with Chivaraidze Chodaushe of UCE behind in 13,23 seconds while Stella Kunedzimwe also from UCE came third in 14,30 seconds.
Bhekubuhle Sikhosana of Hillside won the 200m race in the men’s category, crossing the line in 19,23 seconds with colleague James Zvingwaru clocking 20,03 seconds followed by Nicholas Munkuli of UCE in 21,75 seconds.
Chishamba grabbed gold once more in the women’s 200m race in a time of 24,26 seconds with Chodaushe behind her heels in 26,20 seconds while another Hillside student teacher, Rungano Nyoni, came third in 26,63 seconds.
In the 400m race Priviledge Dube (52,08 seconds) of Hillside shrugged off the challenge from Ronald Hungwe (52,23 seconds) of Mkoba and Orden Dube (52,91 seconds) of UCE.
Kunedzimwe of UCE came first in the women’s 400m in one minute 06 seconds, followed by Hillside’s Neiko Maedza in one minute 08 seconds and Mkoba’s Loreen Madzivire in one minute 11 seconds.
Mkhululi Ncube of Hillside won the 800m men’s race in one minute 55,12 seconds while in the women’s section it was Simangaliso Mpofu, also of Hillside, who was home in two minutes 43,53 seconds.
Mathias Takavagadza of Hillside was the winner of the men’s 10 000m race in 34 minutes 27 seconds while the women’s 3 000 m race went to Gladys Gweshe of Mkoba, who crossed the line in 12 minutes 42,19 seconds to pick up gold.
Today, the three colleges compete in ball and indoor games at Hillside, which will decide the winner of the Zone B 2012 ZITCOSA Games.
