Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya-Beitbridge Bureau
HUNDREDS of youths in Matabeleland South are expected to gather in Beitbridge on Friday and Saturday for the second netball and soccer tournament to be held in honour of Vice President Dr Kembo Mohadi.
The competition draws netball and soccer teams from each of the province’s 12 constituencies as part of his drive to expose the youths’ talent in sport and raise awareness against the menaces of drugs and substance abuse.
According to the organisers, a total of 420 youths will participate in the tournament to be hosted at Welton Primary School sports grounds and Ronnies Arena (Mabidi Stadium) in Beitbridge.
A full house is expected in the town, which is also the home of the Vice President, whose legacy is highly celebrated by many community members.
Vice President Mohadi is revered for his commitment to improving and encouraging young people to engage in sport.
The tournament that was introduced by the Zanu-PF Matabeleland South Youth League was held in Gwanda last year, with Gwanda-Tshitaudze teams winning both the netball and soccer finals.
It is envisaged that through participating in sport, young people in Matabeleland South will be empowered to cultivate a culture of hard work and use their inborn talent in sport to change negative behavioural practices among them drug and substance abuse.
Deputy Director in the office of Vice President Mohadi, Mr Newman Masuku, said the stage had been set for the tournament.
He said they had arranged 12 buses to transport all the teams from the constituencies, which are already on the way to Beitbridge.
“Each netball team will have 12 players and three officials, making a total of 15 people and in soccer, each team provides 16 players and four officials, giving us a total of 20 people,” said Mr Masuku.
“We expect them to check in at St Mary’s, St Joseph, Vhembe and Beitbridge Mission. The boys will be separated from the girls. All games will begin at 8 am on Friday and end at 5 pm on the same day.
“The competitions started at the zonal level, where the winning teams were then selected to represent the 12 constituencies in netball and soccer competitions.”
He said organisers had covered a lot of groundwork in terms of logistics and that professional referees had been engaged from the sister associations.
Players in Division 1 and 2 or Premier Soccer or Leagues are excluded from the participating constituencies. The whole idea was to expose raw talent to develop in the identified sporting disciplines.
“The semi-finals and finals will be played at Ronnies Arena on Saturday, where the Vice President Colonel (Rtd) Dr KCD Mohadi will be the guest of honour. We are expecting a full house,” said Mr Masuku.
The tournament will also be held concurrently with the Vice President’s birthday celebrations, which are held on November 15 each year.
On Saturday, the Vice President is expected to tour Oakleigh House private school in the town to familiarise himself with its expansion programme.
In addition, he will also distribute empowerment grants to Young Women for Economic Development in Matabeleland South.
During the tournament, there will be several talent scouts who will identify talented players from netball and soccer and recommend them to professional clubs.
