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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
BULAWAYO businessman and philanthropist Raj Modi was on Thursday retained as the chairperson of the revamped Bulawayo Metropolitan Provincial Sports and Recreation Committee board.
Part of the mandate of the board is to host games, awards and engage the business community for the benefit of sports development in the city. Modi will be deputised by Ruth Ncube, a business executive from Bulawayo.
Speaking at the board’s inauguration ceremony on Thursday evening, Sports and Recreation Commission board member James Goddard said the creation of the committee was part of the SRC’s policy which places among other important issues, emphasis on the need for empowerment and to ensure that sport and recreation was decentralised to all the communities across the country.
“As you may be aware, sport and recreation are basic human rights. The Constitution of Zimbabwe, Section 32 provides that ‘the State must take all practical measures to encourage sporting and recreational activities, including the provision of sporting and recreational facilities for all people’.
The Constitution imposes an obligation on the State to ensure that the provision of appropriate environment is made available for everyone hence the existence of the Ministry of Sport and Recreation and SRC. The Ministry, in this regard facilitated the approval of the National Sport and Recreation policy which provides a guide on what is to be done and specifically calling for the empowerment of Zimbabweans and creation of advocacy and development structures at all levels,” said Goddard.
He said in order for the Commission to fulfil the dictates of the supreme law of the land, the implementation of the Provincial Sport and Recreation Development Committee was now a reality.
“As the regulator of sport and recreation activities, we expect nothing less than good and sound administration for the good of the nation.
In order to achieve this goal we shall ensure that all office bearers at ward, district and provincial levels are trained and accredited sports administrators. It is our hope that this committee will be able to put in place a robust sports marketing strategy which will yield tangible results. Gone are the days when the government and the SRC were endowed with resources to support every sporting programme,” said Goddard.
Delivering the keynote address at the ceremony, Bulawayo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Eunice Sandi Moyo said the new committee was chosen after a rigorous consultation process with most stakeholders in the province as per the dictates of the committee’s constitution.
“I want to applaud the SRC for coming up with this structure which will see all these national strategy events managed by one committee. This team has been unveiled to help our province and country at large achieve some of the international sports conventions which Zimbabwe is a member to. May I take this opportunity to remind you that Zimbabwe subscribes to the 1978 Unesco Convention resolution that physical education, sport and recreation are basic human rights just like education and other basic human rights hence priority is to be given to growth and development of sports and recreation in the country through such kind of structures. In this board we have sports technocrats, business and corporate leaders, educationists and sports volunteers,” said Minister Sandi Moyo.
Bulawayo Metropolitan Provincial Sports and Recreation Committee Board
Raj Modi, Ruth Ncube, Joice Mambayo, Elifas Mashaba, James Rugwevera, Lytius Charumbira, Douglas Moyo, Thabiso Magutshwa, Dave Simba, Bhekokuhle Dube, Mhambi Ndebele, Nkosiyavuma Sivela, Milidzani Faith Masiye-Moyo, Crispen Manyuke
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