About 10 000 youths from across Harare are set to converge in Ushewokunze, Harare South, for a belated Africa Day sports gala. Organised by ZimSport for Economic Development, a Zanu PF affiliate, the event represents an ambitious bid to bring elite sports to underprivileged communities.
ZimSport chairman Gabriel Togarepi said the gala, to be held on May 30, is meant to promote elite sports in peri-urban communities and ensure that sporting activities become economically beneficial to every citizen.The event, according to Togarepi, will be graced by Zanu PF national commissar Munyaradzi Machacha as the guest of honour.
Other expected attendees include Sports minister Anselem Sanyatwe, Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa, politburo member Omega Hungwe, central committee members, and representatives from the business community.
“We are expecting no fewer than 10 000 people to attend. There are 80 soccer teams competing from across Harare, with approximately the same number of teams for netball and volleyball,” Togarepi said.
“There will also be basketball teams competing, as well as indoor games such as chess, snooker, and darts. In short, there is something for everyone”.
Togarepi said winners will walk away with lucrative prizes to ensure sport becomes rewarding at the grassroots level.
This is intended to encourage the participation necessary to provide national teams with fresh talent.
Last month, ZimSport held an Independence Day boxing gala that was televised; the winner received a Toyota GD6 twin-cab truck from Sakunda Holdings, a company owned by Kudakwashe Tagwirei, who is also expected to attend the Africa Day event.
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“We chose Ushewokunze because it has highly underprivileged communities. We are trying to promote sport as a means of employment and will provide infrastructure to continuously promote these activities,” Togarepi added.
The organisers have partnered with Shadreck Mashayamombe, who offered his school as a venue and is assisting in building the necessary infrastructure. National team captain Marvellous Nakamba is contributing by providing sports kits.
“We might not have it all, but we want corporations, the party leadership, and everyone with the capacity to come and identify talent and support these athletes so they can represent the country in the future,” Togarepi said.
Mashayamombe said his partnership with ZimSport involves the construction of a multi-disciplinary facility that will accommodate tennis, basketball, and volleyball—sports that were previously considered the preserve of wealthy communities “across Samora Machel Avenue”.
“I offered my support in building the sports infrastructure, which will continue to be used by schools and the Harare South community for free,” Mashayamombe said. “To me, it is not only a sporting event; it is a way of steering youths away from drug and substance use.”
He said while soccer is currently the only common sporting activity in the area, the new facilities will broaden the community's horizons. “The youths have good intentions, but there are no sporting facilities in these newly established suburbs,” Mashayamombe said. “We decided to assist them by establishing a multi-disciplinary sports court that all schools in the constituency can use for free.”
