Street football tournament used as weapon against drug abuse, GBV

Curtworth Masango

Zimpapers Sports Hub

A Glen Norah resident is using street football to fight drug and substance abuse among youths and to combat gender-based violence after recently organising a Chimana 3-Aside street football tournament in Nhengeni Crescent.

Tapiwa Mukandi, 34, said his love for football was inspired by his father, Charlie, who played for the CAPS United reserve team in 1989.

Though Mukandi did not pursue a playing career and had hoped to enrol in a refereeing course that never materialised, he has now turned to organising informal matches as a community intervention.

“The initial idea was, how do we keep our youths away from drugs, even just from early morning until the evening, entertained by street football?” Mukandi told Zimpapers Sports Hub.

“We are raising awareness on physical and mental health through sport and encouraging young men to kick the ball and not women.”

Registration to participate in the tournament was free.

Mukandi said registration was necessary because they secured sponsorship of $120 in prize money, though the amount was only announced towards the end.

“We wanted to make it as social as possible, avoiding a money-driven style of play,” he said.

Music played in the background throughout the day, helping to keep young people engaged.

Organisers prepared sadza and mazondo, which were served free to elderly women along with a bottle of water, and also to a few less privileged members of the community. Others bought the meal for just $1.

Mukandi said the event was a non-profit initiative.

“It is a societal awareness project, the first of its kind and a very successful one,” he said.

“If we had more resources, we would schedule another one sooner. We are calling on players to come through and assist us in whichever way possible.”

Community members embraced the initiative. One, Locadia Matare, said:

“We grew up doing the same, playing other traditional games such as Hwishu as well as Chikweshe, and we were never into drugs.

“It is good for this young generation to also engage in such activities as well as to shun gender-based violence for progressive communities,” she said.