Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga-Zimpapers Sport Hub
THE Zimbabwe Olympic Committee have revived efforts to establish an OlympAfrica Centre in the country after securing land in Masvingo for the project.
This was revealed during the ZOC’s annual general meeting held at a local hotel in Harare on Sunday. The multi-purpose sport facility, to be constructed in partnership with ANOCA and OlympAfrica, will serve as a legacy infrastructure investment for Zimbabwean sport and community development.
OlympAfrica Foundation programme manager Marieme Coumba was expected in the country in the early hours of today for a site visit and some meetings.
Speaking to Zimpapers Sports Hub, ZOC chief executive, Marlene Gadzirayi, said: “Yes, we managed to talk to and work with the Masvingo Town Council, requesting a donation of land.
“And one of the requirements of setting up an OlympAfrica Centre in a country is that the land must be donated from the municipality, as part of the proceeds, or the return is to ensure that there is support for all within that community.
“It’s sort of a win-win situation.
“So, we managed to get a donation from Masvingo Town Council, through the Mayor, the Town Clerk, and the Housing Department.
“And so, in terms of the process, we then managed to communicate with the OlympAfrica directorate in Senegal, and they have then dispatched the programme manager for OlympAfrica, Ms Marieme Coumba.
“She’s coming through from Senegal and arriving in the early hours of Tuesday, the 21st of July,” said Gadzirayi.
She, however, noted the project was still in its infancy.
Initially, the project was set for Epworth after ZOC entered into a partnership with the Epworth Local Board, wherein the local authority provided the land.
But the construction failed to take place due to illegal settlers who occupied the land. But there is light at the end of the tunnel after ZOC received a warm response from the Masvingo council. “The purpose of this visit at this point is for the approval of the land, in terms of the size of the land, and the location of the land.
“The land is supposed to be in a space that is accessible to the community. It is supposed to be a place where anyone from the community can come through, play a bit of sport, especially the youth, and go home maybe after school and play some sport.
“And we are also looking at issues around the sustainability of the project itself, where we can then have some income-generating projects at the centre.
“But at this point, it’s still in its infancy; we are not yet officially signing the agreement. But once we have the site approved by OlympAfrica, then we will start the construction at the site,” Gadzirayi said. ZOC president Thabani Gonye said the project set for Masvingo is similar to the one they had wanted to undertake in Epworth.
“Yes, it is a similar project.
“Yes, we put a close to the Epworth one.
“We had secured land, which we believed we could start the project. But when we went to the next steps of what we needed to do, we did secure the funds, which came, part of that deposit into the country,” said Gonye.
The ZOC president said they are also looking at decentralising their programmes.
“It’s also part of our deliberative efforts to start doing things outside Harare and growing outside Harare.
“And OlympAfrica gives us an opportunity, and we are grateful to the City of Masvingo for giving us this opportunity to commence,” said Gonye. The ZOC president is hoping they conclude the paper work before the end of the year.
