admincapabilities, President Mugabe has said.
He was speaking at the end of the five-day inaugural US$60 000 CableMail Robert G Mugabe Soccer Tournament whose final was held at St Francis Xavier, commonly referred to as Kutama College yesterday afternoon.
The tournament featured 12 schools from Zvimba communal lands.
Soccer legends Peter Ndlovu, Moses Chunga, Charles Sibanda, Brenna Msiska and Stanford “Stix” Mtizwa graced the tournament.
Former PSL chief executive officer Chris Sambo co-ordinated the tournament that featured Kutama College against Kutama Day Secondary School in the final.
Kutama College upstaged the Kutama Day Secondary in the final to clinch the tournament.
President Mugabe hailed the tournament organisers for coming up with the idea saying it came at an opportune time when Zimbabwe’s political leadership was working to develop the country.
He said Zimbabwe’s development should begin with the youths.
“Developing talents is confined to the development of the mind. We want totality in the development of the child,” he said.
President Mugabe said each child is born with a special talent, mental and physical, that should be developed.
He said the emergence of sponsors in various sports for both rural and urban schools was providing the total development of school children.
“Tomorrow you may find yourself using your physical strength to build reputations that you would live by and of course look after your families through sport.”
President Mugabe however, urged school children to concentrate on both their academic studies and sport.
“Government would continue to support sport.
“We want to develop all sports and you would make your own choice on what you want to pursue,” he said.
President Mugabe however, urged the tournament organisers to spread the tournament across Zimbabwe.
CableMail managing director Shepherd Katuruza said they will engage other potential sponsors and include all schools from across the country.
“We would want to get all interested parties on board so that, through NASH (National Association of Secondary School Heads) who have their structures, for the tournament to go national,” he said.
Katuruza said for the tournament to take a national perspective, Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces would contribute teams that would take part in the Robert G. Mugabe Soccer Tournament.
Kutama College received US$10 000 for winning the tournament while Kutama Day School received US$5 000. The other 10 participating schools received US$1 000 each.
CableMail also donated 12 000 exercise books to the participating schools.
Online Reporter