Online Reporter
Takudzwa Chitsiga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
CHESS players who are serving prison terms, got an early Valentine’s present when the Zimbabwe Chess Federation (ZCF) and Minerva Risk Advisors partnered to give them some hampers.
The two entities descended at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison on Friday on a celebratory mission to honour the Zimbabwe inmate chess team.
The team has become a beacon of reform and intellectual prowess, securing the top spot in both the men’s and women’s categories at the African Chess Championship.
Furthermore, the men’s team proved their mettle globally, clinching a remarkable fourth place in the online Intercontinental Championship.
To mark these achievements, Minerva provided the athletes with food hampers and official Zimbabwe chess team uniforms to use in the future as they were playing in their prison gabs before. Lydia Tanyanyiwa, Minerva Risk Advisors CEO, said the partnership is about breaking the stigma surrounding the incarcerated.
“We believe that we need to give back to the communities and we recognise that the correctional services and inmates are generally overlooked,” Tanyanyiwa said.
“Most corporates go for football or for other bigger causes and we feel that the inmate communities are marginalised and they are not given many opportunities.
“There is always a stigma around communicating or being associated with the inmates, but we believe that this is a very powerful way to show that we support them and the efforts of the Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services (ZPCS).”
The ZCF president, Todd Mapingire, said that the programme is a vital tool for reintegration into society.
“As Zimbabwe Chess Federation, we are so proud to be associated with ZPCS and Minerva.
“One of the things that we are told is that everyone is a candidate for jail. We are just trying to show that everyone is important to the game of sports, whether you are outside, inside, or at the school level.” Mapingire said.
Mathew Masinge