adminSikhumbuzo Moyo Acting Sports Editor
HE is a linguist who is able to fluently speak IsiNdebele, Shona, Nyanja, English and Chewa.
At the same time, he is a talented sports personality – a track athlete, a footballer and indeed an administrator.
This is Charles Chunda. He once led athletics in five provinces in the country, the Matabeleland Amateur Athletics Board (MAAB) before the board was separated to five provinces namely Bulawayo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands and Masvingo.
“I rose through the ranks in that committee from a committee member to the chairman of the region. I was chairman for four years before I called it quits,” said Chunda.
One of his highlights as an athletics guru was being head of delegation to an Ethiopian marathon event where Zimbabwe was represented by the legendary Tendai Chimusasa and Themba Phulu.
“I also went to Zambia to officiate at the Zone Six Games. While I was still at the helm and with the late Roy Phiri as my secretary general, we organised an awards ceremony for long serving officials,” said Chunda.
He joined athletics after sustaining an injury while turning out for Red Seal Rovers, a football club.
When he left athletics, he decided to go down south in search of greener pastures but did not stay long there, as “home was best for me.”
His next port of call was Nga Football Club where he became a club official.
In 2009, there were elections for the Bulawayo Amateur Football Association (Bafa). He was elected chairman of the association but due to pressing work demands, he relinquished the post and became vice chairman.
“Besides being a vice chairman, I did a lot of work as I re-engaged our traditional sponsors who all came aboard and sponsored some tournaments for us and I am already in consultation to revive the old Osborne Cup that will feature Area Zone select sides from four cities, Bulawayo, Harare, Gweru and Mutare,” said Chunda.
Plans are also underway, said Chunda, to change people’s mindset that Bafa was a boozers’ league by enforcing minimum qualifications for coaches.
“We would want our coaches to have at least a Level One coaching certificate. As you are aware the association did away with using retired referees,” said Chunda who is eyeing the chairmanship during the Area Zone elections to be held this month.
He said they will also be organising a number of workshops that will be conducted by Zifa and Premier Soccer League officials.
Online Reporter