Online Reporter
Cutworth Masango
Zimpapers Sports Hub
MUTUKWA Academy, a fledgling development institution in Chiweshe has set about re-inventing itself with the establishment of a team that will play in Mashonaland Central Division 2B while maintaining the school of excellence.
The Division 2B franchise will compete under the banner of Mutukwa Bhora and have already outlined an audacious bid to climb the Zimbabwean football ladder and secure promotion to Division One and subsequently the Premier Soccer League.
But the institution, founded by local son Edward Mutukwa, will not be abandoning the academy, which has laid the pathway for boys and girls in Chiweshe to fulfil their football dreams.
The academy has instead expanded, attracting talent from across the country, including a player — Tivisani Tomu — who recently arrived from Chiredzi.
Already, the academy boasts of a women’s team and a men’s team, and the Division 2 side is understood to be a platform for players of all age groups to get a chance to express their talents with the age restrictions.
The academy’s patron, Edward Mutukwa, is investing heavily in the club, including building a new club house and implementing self-sustaining projects like broiler farming. “The system is meant to be self-sufficient,” said a club spokesperson. Infrastructure development is underway, with a borehole, changing room, and perimeter fence already in place. The pitch work will commence later this year.
Academy head coach Clever Nyikadzino is leading the transformation, having recently acquired a CAF C badge in South Africa.
“The patron supports everyone within the team; hence the coach is only asked to earn us Division One football. “The club was a local landmark, but its ambitions had never stretched beyond the district boundaries,” said a club spokesperson.
“It’s humbling to see how our patron has channelled his own resources to see all the club workers’ welfare catered for.
“Now he is dedicated to a new cause, building a new club house where players will be based. “And already the system is meant to be self-sufficient. “The club will be having its own broilers which they will be raising. In every batch which is designed to have more than 1000 chickens, 100 will be set aside for the consumption by the team. “That’s one of the examples of the many projects that will be running at the club.
“Our patron set us an ecosystem, where will grow our own food, build our own houses, train our own minds, and from this ground, we will grow a team that represents the enduring spirit of Chiweshe,” added the spokesperson.
The community is also heavily involved in the project with Kanyemba High School grounds being upgraded to host matches.
The road to Division One will be long, winding through dusty areas like Guruve, Concession, Mazowe and Glendale, but for now, Mutukwa Bhora can only dare to dream.
