Zimbabwe hosts historic football tourney and trains young journalists

ZIMBABWE hosted the first-ever CAF African Schools Football Championship COSAFA under 15 tournament last week at Gateway High School in Harare. The tournament was not only a showcase of young football talent, but also a platform for learning and development for young people from Zimbabwe and the Southern African region.

The tournament offered training courses for young referees, aspiring coaches, aspiring safe guards and emergency medical services. The participants who completed the courses received certificates that would help them in their future careers.

The tournament also trained young reporters who covered the matches and the events. A total of 26 young reporters from across the country, aged between 15 and 24, attended the course under the guidance of renowned South African reporter Angela Khubeka, who was appointed by COSAFA to mentor the young journalists.

Ratidzo Kapasura, a 19-year-old participant, said she was happy with the training she received and that it would help her to become one of the best reporters in the country. She said:

“I am very happy and grateful that I was part of the 26 people who were accepted for the workshop. I am also happy that I took full advantage of that opportunity and I believe that the certificate I have now got is the foundation and the start of a lot that is to come in the future.”

The young reporters’ course had 13 males and 13 females, which showed a good step towards gender equality. This impressed another participant, Malcolm Zinoro, also 19 years old. He said:

“I am just happy that the girls are also being given an equal advantage to the guys, it is the right way of doing things. I personally am happy and proud of myself for attending and completing the workshop, it will go a long way in helping me fulfil my dream of being a journalist. I also think many people do not understand how big this thing is. We were given this opportunity when a lot of people in the country also wished to have it, it is something that we should not take for granted.”

Angela Khubeka, who is a former Mamelodi Sundowns PR manager, said she was impressed by the attitude and the willingness to learn from the young reporters. She said:

“I was very impressed by the attitude and the willingness to learn from the guys, I ended up falling in love with that group, I just hope to meet them again one day in better places, events or tournaments because they deserve it. It was a rare opportunity for many of them coming from many parts of the country, this shows how big this was to them and to me also, because I enjoyed my stay in Zimbabwe, I learnt a lot of things and met new people along the way.”

On the field, Zimbabwe finished in third place in the tournament, with players such as 14-year-old Awakhiwe Tshalibe and top scorer Elshaddai Sadomba, son of former national team star Edward Sadomba, standing out.

South Africa won the tournament after beating Malawi on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the final.

The local girls’ team was knocked out in the group stages of the tournament and South Africa once again won, beating Botswana 3-1 in the final, showing their regional dominance.