Sport- a unifying factor: Mambo

The Zim Morning Post team on Saturday took some time out and travelled to Chiweshe, Mashonaland Central  where the Elias Mambo Foundation (EMF) sponsored sports tournament was held at Gweshe High School.

As part of its corporate services responsibility programmes, the team took time to engage with the community while enjoying the sporting activities that were underway mainly comprising of netball, girls soccer and boys soccer with ten schools competing.

In an interview Mambo who is Zim Morning Post Managing editor said “sport is a unifying factor and the competing schools were drawn from across the province including Gweshe, Shekinah,Kanhukamwe, Macro Institute, Howard Mission, Gunguwe, Kakora, Kanyemba, Nyachuru and St Albans.

During the engagement process with members of the community, the initiative by the Elias Mambo Foundation (EMF) was hailed for being a unifying factor to all and sundry.

Mambo said his Foundation’s mission is to “Build hope, change lives through capacity building and empowerment of the rural communities.”

Beside hosting sports tournaments the Foundation also assist deserving students in need of school fees and uniforms.

“We are fortunate to have these tournaments being hosted in our community as they are bringing us all together,” said an onlooker who was enjoying the soccer match between Gweshe and Kanhukamwe boys.

The deputy headmaster for the host school Gweshe, Munashe Kapurura commended the Foundation for sponsoring such an event as it was bringing sanity to its community.

“These sporting activities are an integral part of our community as they are helping nurture our children to be the best versions of themselves with no room for misconduct,” he said.

“Instead of the children being engaging in illegal and otherwise immoral activities, they are preparing for these tournaments and on good days like today, they are gathered here together with their age mates competing in these sporting activities lined up for them with the rest of the community overseeing the smooth running of things.”

Most players were determined to win the tournament and get away with a complete kit for their team regardless of not having adequate gear to play as they played barefooted. Soccer players who spoke to this publication were thrilled to have an opportunity to win the games.

“We are excited to be competing today and to have journalists from the Community Radio also covering this event and live streaming proceedings, we are aiming for the win so we can go back with the kits that are to be won,” said the excited boys.

Veteran broadcaster Oscar Pambuka was the master of ceremonies and had the honour of announcing the Gunguwe netball team as the best team, the Shekinah boys soccer team and the Gweshe girls soccer team as the ones walking away with the shields and sporting gear.

There were also awards reserved for the best netball player, best top goal scorer for both girls and boys soccer as well as the best disciplined players.