Youth tournaments roll into life

Senior Sports Reporter
MUTARE North set the ball rolling in the ongoing community based youth tournaments when youngsters from surrounding villages in the area converged at Odzi Secondary School last Saturday. Youths are competing in soccer for men and women, volleyball and netball. Mutare South will have their games tomorrow (Saturday) at Rowa Secondary School, while Dangamvura-Chikanga will stage their competitions at Chikanga Sports Field next Saturday.

Mutare West will have its competitions on April 2, while Mutare Central will also do the same on April 30 at Chisamba Community Grounds.

In Mutare North, Chiwere emerged winners in football for men, while Ngomasha were victorious in women football. Odzi won both males’ and females’ volleyball.

With a total of five teams per cluster, five clusters converged on the day to showcase their talents. Mutare North member of National Assembly, Batsirayi Pemhenayi, graced the occasion and was excited to be reunited with youths in his constituency.

Pemhenayi, who was guest of honour at the event, promised to make another vibrant tournament with more prizes in the second quarter of the year.

He thanked the Minister of Sports and Recreation, Makhosini Hlongwane, for having vibrant officers in the district. “This is a commendable initiative that helps to mould responsible youths. I really want to thank Minister of Sports and Recreation, Makhosini Hlongwane for this initiative as well as deploying vibrant officers in the district.

“I also want to thank Ministry of Youth and Indigenisation officers who helped in organising this tournament,” said Pemhenayi. The youthful legislator handed over a donation of one soccer jersey for men, one ball for women, one netball jersey, one netball ball, one volleyball jersey and one volleyball ball.

The tournaments at community level are part of the strategies by the Ministry of Sports and Recreation to reach out to skills lying idle in the communities, trying to identify talent for marketing it through the Zimbabwe National Youth Games and other platforms.

The winning teams will in turn select their teams for the Zone, and clash with other Zones on April 30 in district competitions to be held at Chisamba Grounds and Sakubva Stadium.