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Harare Bureau
Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Andrew Langa yesterday re-affirmed Government’s commitment to the Warriors’ cause at next month’s African Nations Championship to be held in South Africa when he unveiled $88,000 package towards the team’s upkeep. Langa yesterday hosted a luncheon for the Warriors when he visited the team in their camp to deliver a message of encouragement ahead of their departure for the tournament next Monday.
Langa, who was accompanied by his deputy Tabetha Kanengoni-Malinga, Sports Commission director-general Charles Nhemachena and senior officials from the ministry, addressed the players and the technical team and then had a private meeting after the luncheon when they heard the Warriors’ concerns. Zifa chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze and members of his secretariat were also present.
The minister said the Government was cognisant of the challenges that the national team has been facing in camp and said his ministry will do its best to provide the Warriors with a good preparation. “Government’s support for the Warriors in particular and development of the game of football will not falter at all. My ministry is committed to walking with the Warriors at all times.
“For this preparation that we are making here, we have managed to source support for the essential budget line that include your travel costs, your accommodation, your upkeep as you are in this tournament and also your allowances.
“We met myself, deputy minister Thabitha Malinga, minister (Patrick) Chinamasa, permanent secretary Dr (Thokozile) Chitepo and our director of finance Cde Hamadziripi and $88,000 was approved for your upkeep, your travel to South Africa and also your allowances.
“Yes I am happy that you do appreciate that initiative but at the same time I would want to say we should not be coming to you at the last minute. That’s wrong honestly. We should have made this arrangement before you even came to camp here but yes we appreciate the problems that we are walking through as Government.
“But I am happy that His Excellency and his Government is in support of this Chan tournament and that’s why we have received this money for your travel and so on. This one is not a political statement but that money is with us now and should be channeled to your offices as soon as tomorrow,” said Langa.
The minister also acknowledged the sacrifices made by the players and also made special mention of the coach Ian Gorowa who has gone the extra mile to afford the team a decent preparation.
The Warriors have not had the best camping they had desired due to lack of finances. Gorowa had proposed six week marathon camp in South Africa but the idea was defeated by the unavailability of funding.
The minister said Government regretted lack of support for national teams and urged the associations to clean up their act in order to attract sponsorship from the business world.
Langa said the Government was saddened by the problems that rocked the team’s preparations and also apologised for the late response to the team’s plight especially for a bleak Christmas as they had no allowances to enjoy with their families.
“I know that your families are concerned. You have been here for the last three weeks now, I am sure, and you had to go through an Xmas that had nothing on the table and I would want to say that we are sorry.
“You are representing not yourselves. You are representing all of us as a nation, as a country and also as a Government. It is therefore our role together with you the Government and the corporate world that we should all support you. You will not fail us at any stage if we walk with you,” said Langa.
“The journey to this tournament has been a very bumpy one and I am happy to say that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Not that we are here then there is light, no. There should be light all the time whenever we are making preparations for these tournaments.
“The steadfastness of our technical department led by Ian Gorowa is highly commended. He has kept you focused on the job at hand even when there was no hope in sight. The whole technical team is doing a sterling job.”
However the money released yesterday cannot cover the whole duration of the tournament, which is scheduled to kick off on January 11 and finish on February 1, and Langa urged the business community to chip in as the Government is saddled by huge responsibilities.
Zifa, saddled by a crippling debt of over $4 million, have been struggling to ensure the Warriors and other national teams are well serviced in order to meet their international obligations.
Recently Finance and Economic Development Minister, Patrick Chinamasa, allocated $10,450,000 to the ministery in the 2014 National Budget with $1,595 million set aside for the Sports Commission, a further $3,5 million set aside for construction works and $600 000 set aside for the African Union Sports Council Region Five Under-20 Youth Games.
“Our national pride is at stake if this game is allowed to disintegrate and definitely my ministry will not allow this game to disintegrate. That is the reason why His Excellency created a stand-alone Ministry of Sports Arts and Culture.
“Whatever we do myself, deputy minister and everybody else in the ministry we have to talk sport every day, drink sport, eat sport and so on. That is the reason why we decided to come and join you for lunch because this is our core mandate as a ministry.
“At the same time we are trying to build confidence within the sport industry so that we can also invite the corporate world to assist our national teams. The corporate world will not support us if they are suspicious of what we are doing within football, within cricket or within basketball. Definitely they will never bother.
“What is important is that SRC let us build that confidence which used to be there in this country. Then obviously the corporate world and the business community will support us.
“We will not allow a situation where someone decides to fail us as a ministry because of greedy interests. That we will not honestly allow. If it means we have to dissolve some boards and come up with some new ones we will do so because our mandate is that we need to rebuild sports and culture in this country but we cannot do that overnight.”
Online Reporter