Online Reporter
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
AN ambitious youth in sport initiative, encompassing all villages in Mutasa Central Constituency, is giving adolescent, teenage and young adults something to occupy their time as well as discover potential sporting career lines while nipping drug and substance abuse in the bud.
The initiative, which kicked off with a tournament that involved all villages in the area on a ward based format is being bankrolled by Mutasa Central legislator, Innocent Benza.
The Mutasa Central Member of the House of Assembly recently hosted a three-sporting discipline event that turned Mutasa DC Grounds into a hive of activity as participants from all corners of the constituency in particular and district at large, convened for the memorable event.
Under this tournament, each ward, also known as political districts, had a team that played preliminaries that led to the assembling of a ward team, making a total of 15 netball, 15 football and 15 women football teams.
Mutasa Central has 15 wards.
Said Benza: “Sport is a universal language. It is something that appeals to any right-thinking individual. It is, not only good for any given community, but for the good health of the individual.”
A staggering US$20 000 was poured into the inter-wards competitions that saw participants competing in football, netball, volleyball and other sporting genres.
Commendably, the participation of youths in the multi-sporting disciplined competitions was remarkable.
Said Benza: “We are all aware of the drugs and substance abuse scourge that has besieged our country, mainly among youths. It is against this background that we thought it prudent to help our communities by investing in sports participation.”
Apparently, the Benza family has championed a culture of sports participation in Mutasa District, and the initiatives have been welcomed by many in the area.
Benza’s son, Tafadzwa, has been actively involved in supporting women football in Manicaland, and particularly Mutasa District communities.
Last week, Buffaloes Queens, a team based in Mutasa South Constituency, received a full kit and balls from Tafadzwa Benza, a donation that will help the new outfit in being presentable in sporting competitions.
The girls are part of the teams that participated at the Inter- Formations sports preliminaries that started last Monday in Masvingo.
Tafadzwa Benza, who has in the past made similar donations to women football teams in Manicaland, said: “We are trying our best to play our small part to uplift standards of the game of football in particular and sport in general in Manicaland.
“My thinking is that it all starts with being presentable as a serious football team or a sportsman for any other sporting discipline hence the donations of football uniforms and balls.”
Being owners of Castle Lager Premiership, Herentals FC and the women football top-flight league team, a credible promise of talent identification, nurturing and provision of a better platform is also one of the Benza family’s initiatives for talented athletes in Mutasa District and Manicaland at large.
ZANU PF Mutasa District Coordinating Committee (DCC) chairperson, Washington Ziwiwi said: “As Mutasa District, we feel blessed to have such a family that, not only has sport at heart, but also going out of their way to promote budding sportsmen.
“It is our since hope as the ruling party leadership that youths will grab this opportunity and make sure those talented among them will, not only fight poverty through sports, transform their lives and end up earning a living out of sports, but play for national teams.”
