derick.khumalo
Mthokozisi Ncube
[email protected]
A FORMER Njube High School learner based in South Africa has donated a full set of football kits to his alma mater in a gesture aimed at strengthening the school’s football programme and inspiring current learners.
The donation was made by Mr Thandazani Mdlongwa, who attended the school around 2005 and now owns a large-format printing company in South Africa.
The kits were handed over on Tuesday by Gobela Arts Development Agency managing director Mr Nisbert Moyo, who represented Mr Mdlongwa during the presentation ceremony attended by school authorities and learners.
Receiving the donation, Njube High School head Mr Zibusiso Msimanga commended the former learner for giving back to the institution that shaped him.
“As a school we are very happy that former students are ploughing back, and it’s out of their own will. We don’t go around asking them as well. This means the school is producing students who never forgot where they came from,” said Mr Msimanga.
He said the donation would strengthen the school’s football programme while motivating learners to excel both academically and in sport.
Speaking after the handover, Mr Moyo said it was an honour for the Bulawayo-based agency to facilitate the donation on behalf of Mr Mdlongwa.
“It was a great experience. We also took the opportunity to introduce the school to our services as an agency. The school was very happy and we look forward to more partnerships that support young talent in both sports and the arts,” he said.
The Gobela Arts Development Agency, headquartered in Bulawayo, works to strengthen Zimbabwe’s creative sector through arts administration, creative events, workshops, mentorship programmes, capacity-building initiatives and skills development. The organisation also connects artists with opportunities, networks and resources aimed at building sustainable careers while promoting community development through arts and culture.
The agency is led by its chief executive officer, Mr Bothwell Bekezela Nkomo, popularly known as Gog’ Bekezela, whose career in the creative industry spans more than two decades.
Among its flagship initiatives is the annual Arts Administrators High Tea, which brings together regional and international arts funders, policymakers and creative practitioners to discuss strategies for strengthening the creative economy.
The second edition of the conference will be held at Amakhosi Cultural Centre in Bulawayo from 15 to 17 July under the theme, “Navigating Scarcity, Creating Abundance: Arts Administration in Tough Economic Times.”
The agency has also hosted several capacity-building programmes, including an acting masterclass facilitated by acclaimed South African actress Dawn Thandeka King, as part of its efforts to develop Zimbabwe’s creative industry.
