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Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWEAN administrator Charles Dzimba was one of the recipients of the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Silver Jubilee awards in Zambia at the weekend.
Dzimba, the first black Zimbabwean to serve as an Education Officer for sport, was recognised for his contribution to the development of sport in the region, during the Regional Annual Sports Awards (RASA) held in Lusaka, Zambia, on Saturday.
He served on several boards including the SCSA Zone VI Sports Development Committee before becoming the SCSA Zone VI Development Officer rising to become the first SCSA Zone VI General Manager between 2000 and 2012.
The Silver Jubilee awards were held on the sidelines of the annual regional awards which honour excelling sports-person and technical officials.
The 2024 edition of the RASA doubled up as the launchpad for commemorating the attainment of 25 years of Region 5’s existence.
The Silver Jubilee was officially launched by Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema, who was represented by his Vice President Nalumango.
The launch led to the conferment of Silver Jubilee awards to 12 of the intended 25 deserving cadres on the night. These are men and women who made significant contributions to sport over the last 25 years.
Nine of the award recipients had been selected by a team of adjudicators with three being the Region 5 Chairperson’s award recipients.
The other Silver Jubilee award winners selected by the judges included Absolom Scara Thindwa and Maswazi Hezekiel Shongwe of Eswatini, Dorcas Makgatho and Kagiso Kitso Kemoeng of Botswana, former sprinter Frankie Fredricks of Namibia who won several medals at the Olympics in the 1990s before introducing a foundation that has changed hundreds of lives in Namibia through the power of sport and retired Lesotho boxer-cum-coach Teboho Mafatle who medals at the African Games and Sydney Olympics in 2000 and Commonwealth Games held in Manchester in 2002.
Another recipient was Mvuzo Mbebe of South Africa (posthumously) and former professional boxer Harry Simon of Namibia.
The three Chairperson’s award recipients were Vetumbuavi Veii of Namibia, Zambia’s Sonstone Kashiba, and the legendary football commentator Dennis Liwewe (posthumously), who became known as “The voice of Zambian Football”, also received the Silver Jubilee award.
The remaining 13 Silver Jubilee award recipients will be conferred in November in Zimbabwe during the scheduled Cultural Festival to complete the list of 25 Silver Jubilee award recipients.
But the night belonged to Botswana’s Tebogo Letsile who won the biggest award of the night after being conferred the 2024 Sports-person of the Year.
Winners in the 12 categories were announced amid pomp and fanfare as the main award of the day went to Botswana’s Letsile, who went home with two awards during the night as he also won the Junior Sportsman of the Year award.
The Sports-woman of the Year with Disability award went to South African discus and shot put athlete Simone Kruger with Sportsman of the Year with Disability going to Ananias Shikongo of Namibia.
The Junior Female Sports-person of the Year award went to Eswatini swimmer Hayley Hoy while the Junior Male Sports-person of the Year award was won by sensational sprinter Tebogo Letsile of Botswana.
The Sports Journalist of the Year award was won by Zambian Virginia Cholongo.
The Sportsman of the Year award went to South African Rugby national team captain Siya Kolisi while the Sports-woman of the Year award was won by Michelle Tau of taekwondo in Lesotho.
The Coach of the Year award went to Namibian Kleopas Letu Hamhola with the Team of the Year award going to the Springboks of South Africa. The Confederation of the Year award was won by Judo for the second year in a row with Botswana winning the Country of the Year award.
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