Harare City extends begging bowl for women volleyball team

Sport
Top women volleyball club Harare City have launched a fundraising initiative for the team to participate at the 2018 Zone VI Club championships set for Durban later this month.

Top women volleyball club Harare City have launched a fundraising initiative for the team to participate at the 2018 Zone VI Club championships set for Durban later this month.

BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE/GARISH PHIRI

Girls dzeTonnaz, as the team is affectionately known, need $95 000 to cover costs and expenses for the tournament which will run from November 30 to December 8.

Last year the Harare City won gold at the Confederation of African Volleyball Zone VI Club Championships and represented the region at the CAVB Africa Women Championships in Cairo, Egypt, earlier this year.

They are the defending champions at the Zone VI event.

The volleyball club held a cocktail, hosted by Gary Thompson at Royal Harare that had Harare mayor Herbert Gomba as guest of honour, to launch the drive.

“City of Harare has a vision to achieve world-class city status by 2025, and this status can only be equated to cities such as Munich, Coventry and Manchester, to name a few,” Gomba said.

“However, a middle-income economy cannot be realised without sports contributing through sports tourism, participating at high levels with other countries and hosting international games.

“We have excellent sportspersons who have excelled in the international arena and we as corporates need to play our part towards this goal.

“Youths need to be empowered and sports are one such activity that can empower and nurture a culture of discipline and respect.”

One of Zimbabwe’s leading banks ZB donated kit worth $8 000 for the team.

Other Harare City sister clubs present at the cocktail, including the football, basketball and netball sides made pledges towards the volleyball team.

Other cooperates who attended the function pledged undisclosed amounts of money to enable the regional champions to go and defend their title.

The Zimbabwe Professionals Golfers’ Association through its president Thompson pledged $1 000 towards the volleyball team’s cause.

Formed in 2016, the Harare City women volleyball team has won several competitions, including the Harare Volleyball Open, Harare Volleyball League, Zimbabwe National League and Zone VI Championships last year.

The team also had an opportunity to host and play the Boston Howard University volleyball team from the US in June and currently top both the Harare volleyball league and Zimbabwe National League standings.