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proud by winning the Cosafa Women’s Championship on Saturday.
And the Head of State was hoping to get the news first-hand during yesterday’s briefing with senior Government officials.
But Presidential spokesperson George Charamba somehow left it from his presentation yesterday.
President Mugabe was curious to know how the Mighty Warriors have improved and pressed Charamba, who realised that he had overlooked the success story, which had charmed the nation and its leadership.
Amai Joice Mujuru, who was the Acting President when the Mighty Warriors triumphed, chipped in saying that it would probably have been news for Charamba if the Young Warriors had qualified for the All-Africa Games.
“I just made a fatal error of not including the Mighty Warriors’ victory during my presentation to the President until he brought it up himself.
“But I tried to give my defence and told His Excellency that I had informed him of the news while we were in Sudan.
“Still he said that was not enough and I was caught offside.
“Mai Mujuru then added that Charamba believes football news is only important when men, rather than women, kick the ball,” said Charamba.
With Charamba caught offside, the Mighty Warriors scored a grand banquet with the President.
“The President said that, for all my (Charamba’s) hatred of the Mighty Warriors, he was inviting them for a feast.
“He said the Mighty Warriors deserve special praise for flying the nation’s flag high as they managed to beat South Africa,” said Charamba.
Charamba said the banquet was likely to be held on Thursday, depending with the Head of State’s schedule.
The last time the Mighty Warriors were invited for a banquet at the State House was on December 22, 2002.
The Mighty Warriors brought the whole nation to a standstill when they turned on the style against South Africa by winning the Cosafa Women’s Championship 1-0 at Rufaro through a late strike from Rufaro Machingura.
The win means that Zimbabwe now have the honour of holding both the Cosafa senior men and women’s football titles at the same time.
The Warriors beat Zambia 3-1 in 2009 at Rufaro to win the men’s Cosafa Senior Men’s Challenge while the tournament was not staged last year.
The Zimbabwe Under-20 women also won a gold medal after beating South Africa at the SADC Zone Six Games in Swaziland last year with the bulk of the players forming the bedrock of the senior team. The
success at Rufaro was the first victory by Zimbabwe senior women’s football team over Banyana Banyana.
The last time the two teams met, the Mighty Warriors were on the receiving end of a 3-0 defeat right before the President’s eyes during the Unity Day Challenge at the same venue on December 22 last year.
Back then Rose Mugadza was skipper of the side that had played at the African Women’s Championships in Nigeria but now she has taken charge of the dressing room as head coach.
During that time, President Mugabe roped in the business leaders for a Presidential Sporting Excellence Fund that was geared at recognising outstanding achievement in sports.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter