Ministry of Sport Partners Highlanders and Kuzana SCEEZ Programme

THE Ministry of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture has partnered with Highlanders and Kuzana SCEEZ to bring a high profile match to Bulawayo on 11 October.

Kuzana Sport and Creative Economy Expo Zimbabwe (KUZANA SCEEZ) is a flagship national initiative of the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture in partnership with Nhimbe Trust aimed at commercialising sport, arts, culture and the broader creative economy.

The Expo brings together Government, local authorities, investors, development partners, corporates, entrepreneurs, athletes, artists and creatives to showcase opportunities, forge strategic partnerships and stimulate economic growth.

Highlanders will clash with their nemesis Dynamos in a match to be a highlight of a sports, culture and entertainment industry symposium to take place in Bulawayo from 7-11 October.

Both teams command the largest following in the country and are the most successful having dominated all silverware contested since 1963 when professional football was introduced in the country.

The Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Nicholas Moyo, said the Zimbabwe Derby is part of the broader Kuzana programme in which practitioners, corporate sector and other stakeholders in arts and sport will meet. He said what is more significant is that the match comes at a time when

Highlanders are celebrating 100 years of existence.

Highlanders were formed in 1926 by members of the Khumalo Royal Clan with their friends and relatives.

Moyo said the Ministry is working in consultation with the Premier Soccer League and Zifa towards facilitation of the hosting of the game.

“The Zimbabwean Derby, Highlanders versus Dynamos match at Barbourfields Stadium on 11 October forms part of the broader Kuzana SCEEZ programme and comes at a particularly significant moment for Highlanders Football Club, which is celebrating its Centenary in 2026. The Ministry is working closely with the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) and the Premier Soccer League (PSL) to handle stadium logistics, clearances, and governance,” said Moyo.

Dynamos and Highlanders have enjoyed relations from the 1960s where after the hosting of the 1963 Towungana Cup a memorandum of understanding was created where players from either club would train or play for the other when they switch cities.

This resulted in Silas Ndlovu later to be successful Highlanders coach and chairman joining Dynamos at its infancy. However the 1976 league championship dispute in which Bosso were walked over at Barbourfields Stadium against Dynamos resulting in the Harare team winning the title appeared to have soured relations.

But in later years both were able to sit in same boardrooms and negotiate sponsorships from same companies.

Moyo said the Ministry sees the fixture as an opportunity to demonstrate the wider economic and cultural value of sport.

“A major sporting event brings together football, entertainment, hospitality, transport, merchandising, media, tourism, advertising and other businesses within the surrounding ecosystem,” he said.

Moyo added that the partnership with Kuzana and the match was anchored in the Ministry’s broader mandate of developing sport recreation, arts and culture as drivers of economic growth, employment, investment and social development.

Kuzana SCEEZ provides an unparalleled platform for organisations to enhance brand visibility, engage with diverse stakeholders and contribute to Zimbabwe’s economic transformation agenda.

Named “Kuzana” — a Nambya word meaning both “to play” and “to dance” — the Expo serves as a symbolic and literal bridge between the competitive spirit of sports and the rhythmic flow of the creative arts. Kuzan SCEEZ is therefore not simply a sports event. It is intended to create opportunities for business, investment, exhibitions, conferences, talent development, entrepreneurship, networking and market access across the sport and creative economy.

The Ministry’s mandate specifically includes formulating and implementing strategies for the development of sport, recreation, arts, culture and the cultural and creative industries, creating an enabling environment for investment, promoting entrepreneurship and strengthening these sectors as contributors to employment and economic development.

All this is consistent with the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) 2026–2030, which identifies sport development, creative industries, employment creation, sports entrepreneurship, investment in sport and partnerships for sports infrastructure development among the national strategic interventions.

The Ministry’s intention through Kuzana SCEEZ is to position sport and the creative industries as economic sectors, rather than viewing them solely from a recreational perspective.

Moyo said the Highlanders centenary provides an important cultural and sporting milestone around which this approach can be demonstrated.

The Ministry’s broader vision is for Zimbabwe to develop competitive sport and creative industries capable of generating employment, attracting investment, creating enterprises and ultimately contributing to the country’s Vision 2030 objectives.

“Therefore, the Ministry’s involvement is principally about creating and facilitating a platform where the sporting and creative economy can be commercialised, connected and showcased, while working with the relevant sporting institutions and stakeholders to deliver the various components of Kuzana.”