Online Reporter
Zimpapers Sports Hub
HARARE Amateur Swimming board chairperson Rumbidzai Mahobele says the upcoming Mufakose Developmental Gala is an initiative aimed at growing the sport from grassroots.
The competition is pencilled for Sunday at Mufakose Swimming pool.
HAS revealed they have been working on refurbishing the pool in collaboration with the City of Harare as part of their social corporate responsibility.
The goal is to grow swimming from grassroots and create an enabling environment for swimmers to improve their times.
“It’s a two-fold initiative.
“The first part of it is in the past years, our Harare swimmers have achieved faster times when they compete in Mutare and Bulawayo.
“Why? Because those pools are much faster than the pool that we have here in Harare, the Les Brown pool.
“One of the reasons why we have looked at the Mufakose pool, it is a 50m pool. It’s 50 by 25 metres, which is a big pool. It’s a 10-lane pool and it’s deeper than our Les Brown pool.
“We are looking at that and hoping to run this trial gala to see whether our swimmers can achieve better times than what they normally do when they are at Les Brown.
“The second aspect of it is also growing swimming at grassroots, which is one of our primary goals as Harare Swimming.
“We are reaching out to the community in Mufakose by making that pool available to them, bringing it to working order.”
The swimming clubs affiliated under HAS are expected to compete at the gala.
However, Mahobele noted it is still work in progress in terms of fully refurbishing the pool that has been neglected over the years.
“There is still a lot of work that needs to be done on it.
“What is really needed is to change the filtration system and bring something that is more modern and workable.
“The idea is, as we do this gala, we want it to be a platform that can be used to reach out to corporates that are interested in partnering with City of Harare and ourselves for a more sustainable programme in terms of maintenance of that pool, that is chemicals.
“What would be ideal really is maybe to get a corporate or corporates that can come on a two-year contract, for example, and are willing to fund the chemicals.
“And maybe the pumps, and then also engage coaches and so on and subsidise the subscriptions for swimmers in the community that would like to take up swimming lessons.
“But at this stage, yes, Harare Swimming in conjunction with City of Harare has come on board to do some work on the pool.
“That is fixing the broken tiles and a few repairs that needed to be done and providing chemicals so that we are able to run this gala. But we are looking at partnership. I think that is our main core.
“We are looking at the sustainability of that pool after this gala as a major issue, as well as rolling out programmes,” said Mahobele.
HAS are looking at rolling out a life-saving skills programme that can involve children and adults, and swimming for schools in Mufakose and surrounding areas.
In support of local entrepreneurship and innovation, the gala will also host a business exhibition zone for organisations, service providers and entrepreneurs within the HAS community.
