SWAZ to honour scribes

Sports Reporter

ALL looks set for an afternoon of pomp and fanfare when the inaugural Zimbabwe Sports Media Awards take place in Harare tomorrow.

The event, the first of its kind to be organised by the Sports Writers Association of Zimbabwe (SWAZ), will be held at Harare Sports Club and has left a host of journalists excited.

Mehluli Sibanda, the SWAZ secretary-general, said excelling sports journalists, broadcasters and photographers would be honoured and added that several big corporate bodies that include Tanganda Tea Company, National Herentals Group of Colleges and Zimbabwe Cricket had come on board to partner with his association.

“The event is born out of a need to reward and encourage essential personnel who remained unwavering in their commitment to duty in a year decimated by the global coronavirus pandemic and ensured the public was well-informed regardless and still received their favourite sports news and programmes,’’ said Sibanda.

Speaking from his Bulawayo base, Sibanda revealed that among the awards on offer are Sports Journalist of the Year, Female Sports Reporter of the Year, Sports Photographer of the Year and Young Sports Writer of the Year.

There will be special prizes for coverage of different sport codes across the categories of print, electronic and online media.

Several dignitaries from the local sports industry have been invited for what will be the only sports awards function in the country this year.

Seasoned administrator and Sport and Recreation Commission acting director-general Sebastian Garikai, will be the guest of honour at the ceremony.

The inaugural SWAZ awards come in a period where the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists have led the way in rewarding their members who have excelled in different fields in 2020, through the annual National Journalism and Media Awards.