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Shingai Dhlamini
THE Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) in Bulawayo will be hosting their annual Officer Commanding Sports Gala on Saturday and Sunday.
Khami Prison will be the venue for the championships which emphasise wellness and create an atmosphere of camaraderie among Correctional Services officers. There is going to be a variety of sporting disciplines which are athletics, chess, darts, draft, golf, pool, netball, soccer, tug of war, tennis and volleyball.
Participating in the gala are Khami Remand, Khami Maximum, Khami Medium, Mlondolozi/Workshop and Provincial HQ.
Bulawayo Metropolitan Provincial Head Quarters (HQ) are the defending champions after winning at last year’s event.
In second place was Khami Remand and third place was Mlondolozi.
The teams that will win at the Officer Commanding Sports Gala will proceed to compete at the Inter-Provincials which will be held in August this year and the venue is yet to be announced.
Provincial Sports Office Renshawe Gijima said that this gala will promote good relations between the public and the prisons officers.
“It fosters unity and interaction amongst officers and the community they serve, such events also raise awareness, fight against drugs and substances abuse through sports.
“The other rationale or mandate of the ZPCS is to maintain physical fitness, the nature of our job requires us to be physically fit for instance when pursuing escapees and also to make sure not to be prone to various diseases,” said Gijima.
Provincial Public Relations Officer Daisy Nyoni said that the event is a platform for officers to showcase their talents in different sporting activities and also promotes healthy habits amongst the officers.
“The event offers great opportunities for officers and is a good place to scout for talent, our very own Hilda Kaye who is in the national boxing team.
“We also have the likes of Felistus Kangwa, a professional netball player with the Gems team and a lot of famous names who have been noticed through these galas,” said Nyoni.
Online Reporter