Mwenezi schools to battle for honours in Chikweza

Midlands Sports Correspondent
SIX Schools in Mwenezi District of Masvingo will battle it out in the inaugural Chikweza Cup which will be held today and tomorrow. The tournament which is bankrolled to the tune of $2000 is the brainchild of Beitbridge based businessman, Ephert Shoko who is holding the soccer festival in memory of his late father Mugwagwa Chikweza.

Schools which will fight it out for top spot are Nyamande, Nikita, Gukuku, Tsungirirai, Zvanaka and Mayezi Secondary Schools.
They will be put into two groups of three teams and will play on a round robin basis with the top two teams in each group proceeding to the semi-finals.

Winners of each group will play the runners up from the other group with the victors going to the finals.
The winners of the tournament are expected to pocket $150, a football kit, a floating trophy, two soccer balls and medals while the runners up will get the same prizes minus the prize money.

The semi-finalists will walk away with two soccer balls each while the last two teams will take home a ball each.
There is also $50 prize for the Player of the Tournament.

Shoko said the move to hold the tournament was motivated by the need to give back to the community he hails from.
“The tournament is being held in memory of our father as the Mugwagwa family who was a man who wanted our area to develop and as such we want to empower this area through sport.

“We hope that clubs in the surrounding areas will come because our aim is to tap talent in this area which we hope will be nurtured and produce soccer stars who will feature for our national teams,” he said.

The only prominent player from Mwenezi to have played football in the top flight league and for the Warriors is former Zimbabwe Saints left back, the late Melusi Nkiwane.