Chronicle Editor
Zimpapers Sports Hub, Bulawayo
THE return of Zimbabwe to the international football community on July 11 last year was the biggest sports story.
For almost one-and-a-half years Zimbabwe was suspended from the Fifa family after the international motherbody accused the Sport and Recreation Commission of third party interference. This was following the suspension of the Felton Kamambo-led body in February 2021.
Zimbabwe remained isolated with no international courses or games and its officials were not given matches in tournaments outside the country’s borders.
The lifting of the suspension ended the Kamambo and Philemon Machana chapter in Zimbabwe football ushering in a Normalisation Committee led by former footballer Lincoln Mutasa. The other members of the committee are former players Sikhumbuzo Ndebele and Rose Mugadza.
Mutasa and his committee are expected to be in office up to June 30 this year. According to the original script of their incorporation they were expected to have finished their task by mid-year with elections having been held to allow a new Zifa Assembly, the supreme body of Zimbabwe football and the management committee, the Zifa Board, to take over.
Six months before the expiry of their mandate there is still no roadmap to the elections which should start with Area Zone and provincial elections.
Zimbabwe Warriors played Botswana and Namibia in its first international games while the Mighty Warriors played in the Cosafa Senior Women’s Championships.
With Highlanders’ Baltemar Brito appointed interim national coach, the country started its World Cup campaign with draws against Rwanda (0-0) and Nigeria (1-1) in the East Central African country in November last year.
On the domestic front there were so many pieces of history written.
Ngezi Platinum Stars became the first team from Mashonaland West to win the Zimbabwe Castle Lager Premiership. They even scooped the individual awards with Takesure Chiragwi voted Coach of the Year and youthful striker Takunda Benhura Top Goalscorer with the biggest of the awards night going to Qadr Amini when he was crowned Zimbabwe’s Castle Lager Footballer of the Year.
Benhura and goalkeeper Nelson Chadya made it to the Soccer Star of the Year calendar.
As if that was not enough a late rally by Chegutu Pirates, better known as Zaire saw them edge Black Mambas to lift the Northern Region PSL ticket while in the Eastern Region little known Bikita Minerals were promoted ahead of firm favourites Tenax and Wangu Mazodze.
In the Midlands it was time for TelOne to return to the PSL where they were in 2021.
In the Southern Region Division One League, Arenel Movers are the champions.
There were no outstanding players from Zimbabwe on the internationals scene serve for Daniel Msendami who has set the Botswana Premiership alight.
Nyasha Mushekwi who tied the note recently was second top goalscorer in the Chinese League. With former Zimbabwe Under-20 star Pernell Mckop as their goalkeepers coach, Stellenbosch FC became the third topflight side in South Africa’s elite football history to win the Carling Black Label Cup contest.
McKop is a former Arcadia, Cosmos, Eagles and Highlanders Football Club goalkeeper.
Zimbabwe football was robbed of four outstanding soccer personalities during their time, David George, Rahman Gumbo, George Chigova and Andrew Kadengu who passed on during the year.
Dennis Tshuma who was Zifa Matabeleland North boss also died last year bringing to an end a chapter that started in 2003.
Netball
Gems Fail to Sparkle
The expectation was high but the gems fell short. The senior women’s national netball team took part in the World Cup for the second time running.
They fell short of their ambitious top-four finish and finished in 13th position which entirely is not bad especially considering the team has predominantly young players who are still learning the ropes.
They went on to take part at African Netball Championships in which they were strong favourites but they finished in third place.
They beat Botswana 53-44 in the third place play-off match. Before that, Zimbabwe had won 47-28, 51-10 and 58-48 against Kenya, Zambia and Eswatini respectively. The Gems’ only defeat came when they suffered a 45-36 defeat in their opening game of the campaign against Namibia.
After the competition, coach Ropafadzo Mutsauki admitted they had failed to meet expectations.
Rugby
Young Sables Defend Barthes Trophy
The Zimbabwe Rugby Under-20 side shone bright after they managed to defend the Barthes Trophy. Zimbabwe won the 2023 competition after beating Kenya 28-7 in the final.
The result meant Zimbabwe defended the title they won in 2022.
The Junior Sables have now won the competition five times since the inaugural edition in 2007 as they close in on record winners and rivals Namibia, who have won the competition nine times. On their way to the final, the Panashe Zuze-captained Zimbabwe defeated Tunisia 60-6 in the semi-finals while the host nation won 24-13 over Namibia in the other last four encounters. In the quarter-final Zimbabwe thumped Ivory Coast 55-0.
ZRU vice-president Martin Shone says the future is bright for Zimbabwean rugby.
Athletics
Isaac Mpofu carries nation’s flag
Mpofu’s exploits this year saw him compete at the Boston Marathon in April and crossed the finish line in 2 hours 14 minutes 8 seconds to finish on position 19.
He then represented the country at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. He finished on position 16, in 2 hours 11 minutes 33 seconds.
Mpofu concluded the season with the Valencia Marathon held on December 3, and he clocked 2 hours 7 minutes 39 seconds.
He is the national record holder for the marathon with a time of 2 hours 6 minutes 48 seconds he posted at the Valencia Marathon in Spain in 2022.
Basketball
The Basketball Union of Zimbabwe (Buz) hosted their first-ever International Basketball Federation (Fiba) Youth Camp held in Harare which also acted as beginning of the selection process for junior national teams. The event was an eight-day camp with the first four days focusing on the training of technical officials and coaches by NBA and Fiba-certified coaches. The next four days centred on the players under the age of 15 who also took part in skills learning also under the watch of Fiba coaches.
This was the first ever Fiba Youth Camp to be held in the country and had over 30 players.
Golf
The year 2023 was one full of highs for the sport in the country with golfers shining on the international stage. Two of the major highlights of the year came from professional golfer Robson Chinhoi and qualification for the 2023 World Amateur Team Championships (WATC). After a series of victories in the Safari Tours, Chinhoi took his form to the Sunshine Tour where he won the 2023 Zanaco Masters Championship in Zambia, which was his first internationally recognised title.
In the process, he also became the first black to win a Sunshine Tour sanctioned tournament in Zambia and second black Zimbabwean to win a Sunshine Tour after Tongoona “TC” Charamba who bagged the accolade in 2006. Another highlight of the year is Zimbabwean amateurs competing in the biggest stage of them all, the WATC, where they rubbed shoulders with some of the finest in the world. Zimbabwe was represented by Tafadzwa Nyamukondiwa (replaced Michael Wallace), David Amm, and Keagan Shutt.
Scott Vincent the country’s leading golfer took part in the LIV Golf League where he won US$4,6 million. He was to card his best in the series with scores of 70-62-66 for a career best.
Cricket
The year had a lot of activity for national teams. It was mostly downhill, with only a few series wins to show for it. It was a dismal year — perhaps the worst ever for the sport in the country. The Chevrons achieved nothing in the year as they failed to qualify for the 2023 Men’s Cricket World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup. Zimbabwe also suffered their first-ever home series defeat at the hands of Ireland. The year also saw the retirement of Gary Balance (a few months after returning to his country of birth) and Dave Houghton stepping down as the coach.
Walter Chawaguta has been appointed interim coach.
There was a glimmer of hope though when the Under-19s qualified for the World Cup which starts in two weeks’ time in South Africa and the Lady Chevrons making it to the final qualifiers of the World Cup.
Boxing
Boxer Takemoney Chivandire failed to travel to Australia last month after she could not secure a visa ahead of her scheduled World title fight.
Themba Gorimbo made history by becoming the first Zimbabwean to win a fight in lucrative UFC after getting the better of Takashi Sato in a welterweight division fight in Las Vegas every boxer’s dream fight venue. He had a better celebration outside the ring when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson gave him a house.
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