Online Reporter
Lovemore Dube, Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Zimbabwe National Boxing and Wrestling Control Board (ZNBWCB) is punching the air with satisfaction after going the full distance to align itself with the country’s first five-year medium-term blueprint, the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).
For the board, NDS1 (2021-2025) has not just been a roadmap — it has been the ring where governance and progress have traded blows, and victory now feels within reach.
Priscilla Kadungure, the indefatigable chief executive officer of the boxing and wrestling authority, reflected on a bout that lasted five years, a contest fought not with gloves but with grit and governance.
Among the tangible wins of this cycle, she said, was the board’s ability to tighten its guard on regulation and institutional development.
“We strengthened governance, regulation and institutional development. ZNBWCB consolidated its role as the country’s regulator for professional boxing and wrestling, improving licensing, competition rules and stakeholder engagement to professionalise the codes of boxing and wrestling,” said Kagungure.
It was a fight that demanded movement beyond the capital’s ropes. The board stepped out of Harare’s corner and toured the provinces, feeling the pulse of the sport from grassroots gyms to dusty rings, listening to voices that had long been drowned out by distance. Five internal policies were drafted and adopted — a masterstroke for a parastatal that only entered the ring in 2019.
“The board also managed to establish 5 internal policies that were non-existent as a fairly new parastatal who came into life around 2019, the following are the policies established and adopted by the board:
Human Resources Policy, Finance Policy, ICT Policy, Procurement Policy and Tournament Hosting SOP,” she said.
But the biggest opponent was an outdated Boxing & Wrestling Control Act (Chapter 25:02), a relic from 1956 that didn’t even recognise women in the sport — a jab below the belt in today’s era of equality.
Kagungure said the board had engaged the Ministry to review and amend the Act, modernising it to meet SADC protocols that demand 50-50 representation and equal opportunities.
Working on the legal framework, she said, would be the knockout punch for investor confidence and improved governance standards.
In this five-year round, audits were conducted, and the board threw its weight behind national and international bouts. Zimbabwean fighters didn’t just step into the ring — they stepped onto regional and global podiums, clinching titles that raised the sport’s profile and brought a surge of pride and sport tourism to the nation.
“The Board supported national and international bouts, and Zimbabwean fighters achieved regional and international titles raising the profile of the sport and contributing to sport tourism and national pride,” said Kagungure.
The board also breathed life back into the multi-sport gym at the National Sports Stadium, a facility that had been on the ropes for too long.
“It will be commissioned once the water reticulation works at the stadium are complete,” Kagungure said.
Training was another flurry of punches landed. Workshops for coaches, trainers, referees and administrators were rolled out to sharpen skills and improve safety, officiating quality and athlete welfare — all in line with NDS1’s focus on human capital development.
“This was to improve safety, officiating quality and athlete welfare, aligning with NDS1 priorities on human capital development and service delivery,” she said. Formal registration of professionals, contract handling and safety protocols for bouts were emphasised, ensuring clearer governance and safer participation. But even champions face challenges. Outdated legislation, funding constraints and resource gaps remain stubborn opponents. Infrastructure is still gasping for breath, and training facilities need urgent attention.
“Professional pathways and athlete welfare — gaps remain in guaranteed purses, medical insurance, retirement/aftercare and clear career pathways for athletes. Data, monitoring & evaluation — weak systems for consistent data capture and impact measurement make it hard to quantify contributions to NDS1 targets and to attract investors,” she said.
At the parastatal’s first annual general meeting last month, the verdict was unanimous: legislation reform must be prioritised to attract investment. Mobilising funds for activities, expanding capacity building and crafting a national plan to improve geographical access and talent pipelines were declared key strategies for the next round.
“We want to implement athlete welfare mechanisms (medical cover, dispute resolution, pensions/aftercare) to professionalise the code,” said Kagungure.
The bell for the next round has already sounded. The ZNBWCB is in the centre of the ring, gloves up, eyes fixed on the future. The fight to professionalise boxing and wrestling is far from over — but if the past five years are anything to go by, this is a bout Zimbabwe intends to win.
