Online Reporter
Lovemore Dube, Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Sport has been on a tour of the country, meeting stakeholders and getting an appreciation of the situation on the ground.
Yesterday, they visited two key drivers of sports tourism in Bulawayo, Khumalo Hockey Stadium and Queens Sports Club, a venue for both domestic and international cricket.
The committee was told of challenges on the ground, which they said were similar and needed attention if sport was to develop using good facilities.
It was also established that local authorities were abdicating their role of providing amenities as a service with many now turned to hot drinking spots at the expense of sport and its growth.
Farai Jere, the chairman of the committee said bureaucracy was to blame for the decay of facilities.
He assured attendees that they would try to have that sorted out as they would also aim at engaging respective responsible authorities.
Social amenities, he said, should see a multi-sectorial approach where Government departments, local authorities and other organisations step in to assist with amenities.
Jere vowed that bureaucracy should be eliminated in the decision making process of keeping the facilities in good shape. On their tour they have discovered that venue managers even have to wait for petty decisions to be made in Harare.
He said it is unfortunate that Government gets 70 percent from the hire of Khumalo Hockey Stadium, leaving Sports Commission with just 30 percent to run the facility.
“We are embarking on a tour countrywide, from Harare we went to Mutare from there to Masvingo and Zvishavane.
Let’s go out there and see, we are on target with Vision 2030. What we have seen so far is a very asad state of affairs,” said Jere.
On the sidelines of the Khumalo tour of the facility, Jere told media that the hockey venue was once one of the best in Africa, far much ahead of some countries’ such as Egypt’s hence had played host to the All-Africa Games in 1995.
Khumalo Hockey Stadium has also hosted African and World Cup qualifiers contributing to the Bulawayo economy and been used as a springboard by developing players some of whom have played for the national team and won scholarships to study abroad and even play there as professionals.
Jere challenged Zimbabweans to take care of facilities and not leave everything to Government and responsible authorities.
“Can we do a little bit, there is lack of maintenance of assets, there is no system in place, we do not have a policy, what are we doing as a people?” asked Jere.
He said from the observations made on the tour, there was a need for local Government to engage with Ministry of Sport and associations on the issue of maintenance of facilities.
He called on Government to allow revenue raised from the facilities to remain there and be used for repairs so that they remain in good state.
“If the Ministry and SRC can get money from these properties they are able to maintain, these are things we have been looking at from a budgetary and policy view,” said Jere.
Joseph Tshuma who heads the Local Government and National Housing Portfolio and is also part of the Portfolio Committee on Sport, said he would meet with Jere and have a meeting with local authorities over facilities.
He said it was sad that they were no longer prioritising service provision for residents as they all focused on “beer sales” and were no longer even reachable for children with kids in some sports such as boxing, now fighting at pubs.
He said this was defeating the fight against morality.
Today, they are expected to tour the proposed Victoria Falls Cricket Stadium and have a look at what Hwange has at its disposal.
