Online Reporter
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
BURMA Valley hosted hundreds of agricultural workers, stakeholders, and community members last weekend as major banana producer, Matanuska Private Limited held its annual sports and family event at its Burma Valley Estates grounds.
The three-day initiative, which ran from Friday to Sunday, combined athletic competitions, entertainment, and targeted social interventions. Held annually for over a decade, the sports and family gathering serves as a primary wellness and health promotion platform for the local farming community.
This year’s event was co-hosted in partnership with development partner, Plan International. The joint initiative utilised sport to address critical social welfare challenges prevalent within agricultural settlements.
“We partnered Matanuska Private Limited in hosting the Sports and Family Day as an intervention to address cases of teen pregnancy, child sexual abuse and child marriages. It is our considered view that children in farming communities are at higher risk of facing these vices more than their counterparts elsewhere. Therefore, we used sport as a vehicle to reach out to villagers and farm workers in the Burma Valley area, conscientising them of the dangers of these vices,” Plan International stated.
Operating under the theme: ‘Roots in excellence, growing together,’ the tournament featured multiple sporting disciplines alongside health outreach activities.
In netball, Marketing secured first place, while Chipinge Banana Company (CBC) and Nyamagaya finished second and third, respectively. Nyamagaya claimed the championship in the football division. In volleyball, CBC took top honours, followed by Matanuska in second place and Nyamagaya in third. The pool competition concluded with Brand Hill in first place, Marketing in second, and Fangudu in third. Track events featured both competitive and inclusive distance races. Simeon Makarwi won the men’s long-distance race, with Philip Masvora taking second place. The women’s 12km race saw Patience Nyakuvambwa finish first, followed by Elizabeth Gama in second and Bertha Mangweyana in third. Special commendations were awarded to senior participants and individuals overcoming physical barriers. Matanuska employees, Lloyd Mukwada, Rangarirai Moyana and Tenson Siwela, alongside Fangudu’s Samuel Chinyakata, received prizes in the senior marathon category.
Divine Chinyakata, an athlete living with a disability, was formally recognised for competing in the long-distance race. Additionally, staff marathon recognitions were presented to Nyamagaya Apples Farm manager, Tongesai Mparadzi and Nyamagaya general manager, Jack Randle.
Senior Government officials attended the gathering, including the Secretary for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Abiot Maronge, and Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education’s Mutare District Schools Inspector, Tracy Mademutsa.
The event closed with community celebrations centred on the company’s official theme and anthem, highlighting the role of corporate-civil partnerships in supporting rural health, child protection, and worker wellness across farming districts.
