AS the Imiklomelo KaDakamela Cultural Festival came to life in rural Nkayi last week, Cricket Ekhaya-Ekasi made a significant contribution by donating cricket equipment worth US$5 800 to Dakamela Primary School.
The donation was made during the cultural festival through Chief Mbusi Bekithemba Dakamela, the young traditional leader from Nkayi District in Matabeleland North.
Cricket Ekhaya-Ekasi director of cricket affairs and operations, Dumisani Mankunzini, said the organisation’s thrust is to ensure that every interested child gets an opportunity to appreciate the game of cricket.
“Cricket Ekhaya-Ekasi is all about spreading the game of cricket to all corners of Zimbabwe and making sure that every child gets an opportunity to hold a cricket ball and a cricket bat,” Mankunzini said.
“We are not all about teaching kids how to play cricket. We also do the train-the-trainer programmes whereby we train teachers and whoever is interested to become cricket coaches,”.
He added that the organisation goes beyond basic coaching.
“We also produce cricket administrators, umpires, scorers and all those officials,” Mankunzini said.
“We are a full organisation. This is what we do. We go to rural areas and the ghettos where there is zero cricket.
“We focus on areas where there is zero cricket, introduce the game from scratch and also provide equipment so that we don’t just give knowledge, but the tools to play the game.”
Mankunzini revealed that Cricket Ekhaya-Ekasi first engaged Dakamela Primary School in 2024, introducing pupils to the fundamentals of cricket, before returning with equipment support.
“We went and taught them cricket in 2024 and, as you know, cricket equipment is expensive, we had to sponsor them so that they can play,” he said.
“The organisation was founded in 2024 and we have covered over 89 schools in Nkayi, Tsholotsho, Binga, Filabusi, Victoria Falls, Hwange and Bulawayo to date.”
The grassroots initiative has also secured corporate backing, partnering with Looks Sportswear in a five-year deal to supply kits — a major boost in efforts to promote cricket, a sport often viewed as elitist, in marginalised communities.
According to information from the organisation, Cricket Ekhaya-Ekasi is focused on developing cricket talent from grassroots level, particularly in underserved areas, while using sport as a tool for empowerment and life skills development.
Mankunzini said their growing list of partners includes Zimbabwe Cricket, O’Mari, Mr Sinkwa and Appex.
“We are in partnership with Zimbabwe Cricket,” he said. “They assist us a lot. We are getting support from the managing director Givemore Makoni and Nicholas Nsingo.
“We have strong backing, even high-performance coach Steve Mangongo and the current Tuskers general manager Pollock Mubhobho are supporting us.
“This partnership ensures that when there are big matches, we get invited, and they also provide us with equipment such as balls. It strengthens our mission to take cricket to rural communities, especially in Matabeleland.”