daniel chigunwe
Daniel Chigunwe Herald Correspondent
DESPITE gaining infamy as havens for drug abuse and violence among ghetto youths, pool games are slowly being transformed into rehabilitative platforms for addicts.
Most high-density suburbs are awash with tales of how youths abuse drugs and fight among themselves while playing pool, which is commonly referred to as snooker, but the bad narrative is being rewritten.
The emergency of associations such as the Harare Provincial Pool Association (HPPA) has given a new impetus to the game as moves are being taken to tame drug abuse and weed out rowdiness among the players.
Various business players are coming on board to fund game leagues which have seen a new spirit of professionalism being instilled among players with HPPA public relations officer Mr Laston Manene saying they recently got a US$15 000 support donation from a local business which they have channelled towards league tournaments.
He said through overtures being taken by the association, there are success stories of drug addicts who have reformed through the formalisation of the sport and are now earning a living from proceeds realised through the sport.
“As an association, we have taken serious strides in taming drugs, alcoholism and rowdiness among the players and we have success stories emanating from these changes we are implementing especially here in Harare,” said Mr Manene.
The association which has about 3000 players says it has introduced a system of weekly salaries among its players in a bid to deter access to quick money through bets which provides a source of income for securing drugs and cheap alcohol.
“Many players remain hooked on drugs because of access to quicky monies from random bets, however, we now have a system where our players get a stipend on a weekly basis which incentivises them to work hard and abide by ethical rules, usually the stipends form a better source of income to earn a living.
“We have various business players supporting the formalisation of pool, including Nevsun Aggregates which gave us a donation of US$15 000 recently, Kambucha is also on board, we have Rubber City a tyre company and Turbo and Diesel, all of these are providing financial support to us so that we successfully implement all the transformation towards a drug and alcohol-free sport,” added Mr Manene.
Despite notable successes, Zimbabwean pool players have called for the full participation of all the country’s stakeholders including ministries and organisations in the recognition of the sport and its inclusion in national agendas especially in light of how it is providing lucrative means of income to unemployed youths.
“We have a national team that was recently representing Zimbabwe in a tournament held in South Africa, we have also raised the flag high in Kenya, and as we are moving around all these countries, we are witnessing certain standards that have been taken to support the sport by their governments.
“Therefore, we also have a vision of having pool arenas in the country like the ones in Kenya, this helps in the formalisation of the sport so that it does not just seem to be a bar sport hence we are calling on responsible ministries to craft polices that include us too.”
Online Reporter