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Mandla Moyo, Sports Reporter
THERE is a umbilical cord that joins the Zimbabwe Defence Forces with members of the public which dates back to the days of the liberation struggle.
From this relationship the country was able to attain its independence out of a protracted armed struggle. That profound relationship still exists up to today in various ways between the parties as shown by the number of times the ZDF and the public mix and mingle on various platforms.
For that reason, the ZDF feel obliged to give back to the community that assisted them during those darker days.
As fulfilment to this obligation, every year they put aside all their military hardware, get their hands dirty through assisting the needy.
One such move of giving back to the community is by holding charity events as part of one of those noble gestures.
The 1 800m ZNA Champion Fillies Stakes Race held annually at Borrowdale Racecourse has been outstanding in that regard for many years.
To date it is one of the most followed events on the racing calendar probably due to its ability to bring the military as well as their civilian counterparts together.
Preparations for this year’s edition set for Saturday at the racecourse are almost complete according Lieutenant-Colonel Livy Msipa.
“We are almost through with our preparations for this charity day, the date for this event has been agreed on.
“A number of local artistes are set to perform on the day as part of entertainment namely Freeman, Leonard Zhakata among others.
“In fact, due to the number of artistes who will be present we are actually worried that we may run out of time on the day before all can get a chance to do their thing on stage,” said Lt-Col Msipa.
On the day the public will be treated to the tradition parachute jumps, drill displays, pony rides, braai among others, while for the young ones at heart jumping castles will be there added Lt-Col Msipa.
As has been the norm, proceeds will be donated towards selected Army Charity beneficiaries that fall under the territory of the Commander ZNA’s Charities Fund.
Among those is Tsanga Lodge Rehabilitation Centre in Nyanga responsible for the injured soldiers and other members of the society.
In addition to these is the ZNA Widows and Orphans Benevolent Fund which is responsible for the upkeep of orphans as well as widows, ZNA Schools Welfare Trust responsible for ZNA schools, Army Patients Welfare Fund as well as the ZNA Benevolent Fund.
Lt-Col Msipa also appealed to corporates to continue supporting ZNA in this worthy cause as whatever support they give will go a long way in helping especially children whose parents have passed on to pursue education.
Meanwhile, the local horse racing authority Mashonaland Turf Club have pushed out a provisional list of eight runners for the charity race meeting.
In addition to these are other runners nominated for the supporting races on the day bringing the total number of nominees to 73 for all the seven races.
According to the racing manager Betina Gurajena, the stables will meet tomorrow at the racecourse to find out which one of their horses have made it into the final list followed by the release of the race card on Wednesday.
Online Reporter