It’s exactly 10 days before the country goes to what could be historic elections. Report by Brian Nkiwane
Like everyone else, the sporting world will also be looking forward to proper leadership that will not turn a blind eye on their plight like what has been happening.
Sport has been getting a raw deal from the current leadership despite having written success stories.
Talk of Warriors legend Peter Ndlovu, Benjani Mwaruwari, Kirsty Coventry, Stephen Muzhingi, the Black brothers Byron and Wayne and their sister Cara, Langton Tinago, Proud “Kilimanjaro” Chinembiri just to mention a few, who have excelled greatly in sport.
The country’s sporting fraternity has been pushing for a separate sports ministry to champion the cause of sportspersons, unlike the current set-up whereby it is covered under the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture.
Under the current setup, the ministry would not feel any obligation to release money for any sporting event, while somewhere down in Binga, school kids are attending lessons in the scorching sun due to the unavailability of classrooms.
A separate sports ministry is the answer to all sporting difficulties that the country has gone through.
It was only last week that the mother of the youngest ever brown belt holder in the history of Karate in Zimbabwe, Raphael Tarumbidzwa Mukondiwa, spoke of the struggles she goes through to ensure her son participates at international events.
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She has to meet all the expenses incurred for Tarumbidzwa to represent the country.
As if that is not enough, the karate mother body, Karate Union of Zimbabwe president Joe Rugwete was on record just after the Namibia Karate Championships two weeks ago saying government was not getting involved in the sport at all.
The only contribution they got in preparation for the trip was a bus which they had to source for fuel as well as allowances for the bus crew.
A few weeks ago, Zimbabwe’s top tennis ace Takanyi Garanganga’s father dropped another bombshell, that he was contemplating withdrawing the player from taking part in any tennis matches due to financial problems.
Currently, Garanganga is the country’s best tennis player and it will be very sad to lose such a player just because government is taking a back seat.
Zimbabwe Football Association, Zifa, was in quandary some few months ago when they could not send two junior national teams, the Under-17 and the Under-20, to reverse fixtures of their continental championships leading to the country being slapped with hefty fines and two-year bans for each age group.
Had we had a separate ministry, something could have been done to ensure that future teams participate in tournaments. If things remain as they are for the next two years, another crop of players will suffer due to non-participation in continental tournaments.
Recently, the national team had a shoddy trip to Guinea whereby 12 players, a coach and a medic finally made the trip. It is just disheartening.
These were just examples; a lot of setbacks have occurred, hampering success in the sporting world.
Can government and the powers that be in the responsible ministry take a look at themselves and start assisting sport.
A separate sports ministry seems like the best answer at this moment.
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