Morgan Zintec students barred from games

Takudzwa Chitsiga
Sports Reporter
MKOBA Teacher’s College will this week host this year’s Zimbabwe Teachers Colleges Sports Association (ZITCOSA) Games.

Twelve tertiary colleges, namely Bondolfi, Marymount, Masvingo, Morgenster, Mutare, Mkoba, Hillside, United College of Education, Belvedere, Seke, Madziwa and Nyadire, are set to take part in these Games.

Morgan Zintec College will be the only one missing out at this year’s sports fiesta after the college’s authorities allegedly denied students access to travel to Gweru for the Games.

The students, who will not be part of the sports festival, demonstrated at the school premises yesterday after they were told that the trip had to be abandoned.

Morgan Zintec College sports director, Ruth Leonard, and principal, Tonderai Zenda, were accused of not giving the students permission to attend the Games as some had come prepared to leave for Mkoba yesterday.

When contacted by The Herald yesterday, Leonard refused to comment, saying she was nowhere near the college while sources said they were locked in a marathon meeting while Zenda said he cannot comment on issues pertaining to the college to the press without directive from the Ministry.

The once vibrant College also stand accused of failing to send a team to the athletics event staged at White City in Bulawayo last week despite some of their students having qualified for the event.

Sources said the student teachers were supposed to leave the capital yesterday for the ZITCOSA Games that have more than 20 sporting disciplines, which include football, netball, basketball, athletics and volleyball among several others, on show.

“We were let down by the college’s authorities as we had prepared for the festival. We were deprived as successful participants will proceed to ZITISU (Zimbabwe Tertiary Institution Sport Union) competitions.

ZITISU winners will then progress to Confederation of Universities and Colleges Sport Association (CUCSA) competition.

So those who were supposed to represent the college could not go to Mkoba and the athletes were very bitter,’’ said the source.

CUCSA comprises of 14 countries in the Southern Africa region and Zimbabwe last hosted this competition in 2016 where nine countries were present.