Online Reporter
Lovemore Dube, Zimpapers Sports Hub
AFTER 15 years on the sidelines, Hwange Athletics Club is making a comeback in 2026, bringing fresh hope to athletics in Matabeleland North.
As part of the build-up, Hwange Colliery Limited will host the Hwange Track and Field Championships on August 23.
The invitational meet is expected to draw clubs and athletes from across Zimbabwe, rekindling a tradition that once gave fans a chance to watch the country’s top talent while showcasing local runners and jumpers.
In its heyday, the club was a powerhouse in the Chamber of Mines Track and Field Championships and regularly supplied athletes to national teams for the Commonwealth Games, then known as the Empire Games, and the Olympics.
Lunyalalo Ncube, chairman of the organising committee, confirmed both the August event and the revival efforts.
“We are working towards reviving Hwange Athletics Club and the sport in Hwange. We are hosting an invitational championship and we have invited clubs and individual athletes. Responses have started coming and it’s promising as we have already Blanket Mines and athletes and clubs from Bulawayo confirming their participation,” he said.
Like many mining outfits, Hwange cut non-core social and sporting activities during the economic challenges of the past few years. But under new managing director Munashe Shava, the mine is restoring some of its community programs. Social services are returning, and with them, the sports that once united the town and kept young people away from trouble.
Ncube said the August event is about more than sport.
“We will also use the event to promote the fight against drug and substance abuse,” he said.
Drug and substance abuse has become a serious problem for Zimbabwe’s youth, with many talented young athletes lost to addiction. The government has declared it a national priority to stop its spread.
Hwange’s track record is rich. Long-distance star Cyprian Tseriwa ran for Rhodesia at the 1962 Empire Games, while the late Robson Murombe and Mathias Kanda competed at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Zephania Ncube represented Zimbabwe at the 1980 Moscow Games. Other notable names include Elijah Nkala, Gabriel Chikomo, Abel Manyumeka, Temba Ncube, Benjamin Songoya, Phathisa Ngwabi, Portipher Dombojena, Melford Homela, Savieri Ngidhi, Juma Phiri, Phillip Mukomana, and Adon Treva, whose 46,2-second Chamber of Mines 400m record from 1972 still stands.
The club is now identifying athletes and officials who will represent Hwange in 2026. Its return could also pave the way for the long-awaited revival of the Chamber of Mines Track and Field Championships, which have been absent from the athletics calendar for 18 years.
