A FUNDRAISING committee set up by the Minister of Sports and Recreation will today host a dinner at a local hotel in a bid to mobilise resources to help the team prepare for the upcoming African Women Africa Cup of Nations finals set for Cameroon in just over two weeks’ time.
BY HENRY MHARA
With just 17 days before the tournament kicks off in Yaoundé, the team is still idle with no clear indication as to when the players will go into camp.
The team is expected to leave the country for the West African country 12 next week on Saturday, which effectively means they are only left with 10 days to prepare.
Mighty Warriors coach Shadreck Mlauzi has since voiced his concern over the manner the team has been treated and said the whole nation should take blame for the chaos facing the team’s preparations.
A fundraising committee, led by chairperson, Lillian Mubaiwa of Old Mutual and other volunteers drawn from the business community, has been put in place to try and salvage the situation.
It was officially launched yesterday and quickly got down to business by arranging a fundraising dinner at Rainbow Towers this evening.
The dinner is part of the activities lined up by the committee as they battle to raise the set budget of $300 000 for the team’s preparations, airfares to Cameroon and allowances.
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Mubaiwa said tables of 10 guests range from $1 000 to $3 000, depending on the level of corporate sponsorship desired.
She added that the evening’s intended prestigious auctions had already garnered support from Zimbabwe Cricket, Ethiopian Airlines, RTG and other private individuals.
Another initiative, Mubaiwa said, would see the committee run a nationwide SMS promotion, entitled #GirlPowerZW, and accessible on the leading national cellular networks.
Subscribers would be invited to support the Mighty Warriors by purchasing a digital raffle ticket, as a $0.50 deduction from their current airtime balance and in return, participants would stand a chance to win a brand new car, and air tickets to accompany the team to Cameroon.
The committee has engaged the services of accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers to manage the budgets and funds disbursements in a transparent and professional manner.
The Mighty Warriors are the only team, of all the participants, who are yet to begin preparations.
Team Captain, Felistas Muzongondi, who attended the launch yesterday, said she was saddened by the situation and felt let down by the nation. She, however, promised the team would go and make the country proud.
Zimbabwe, who also had shoddy preparations for their Olympic Games debut in August, are in Group A together with hosts Cameroon, Egypt and neighbours South Africa.
Group B is made up of defending champions Nigeria, Ghana, Mali and Kenya.
Mlauzi’s side open their account against South Africa at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo in Yaoundé on November 19 before facing Egypt three days later.
They complete their group matches against Cameroon on November 25, with the top two teams proceeding to the semi-finals.
