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GOING PLACES . . . Alfos Mhondiwa, vice-chairperson of Mashonaland West Handball Association, believes their junior team’s proposed tour of Germany next month will help in producing professional handballers in Zimbabwe

Ellina Mhlanga and Collin Matiza
Mashonaland West Handball Association believe next month’s proposed tour of Germany by their boys and girls Under-16 provincial select side — Mashrhino — will go a long way in helping Zimbabwe produce professional hand-ballers for future senior national team assignments.

The association were late last year invited by Germany’s Hamburger Handball Association, through the GeBe Foundation of Cape Town, South Africa, to tour the European country from April 3 to 19 for a sporting and cultural exchange programme.

They (Mashonaland West Handball Association) were asked to assemble a boys and girls Under-16 team for this tour which will see them being involved in a number of training programmes and friendly matches with some of Germany’s top junior handball teams in Hamburg.

All this will be facilitated by the Hamburger Handball Association through the GeBe Foundation, who are a non-profit making organisation with sporting links with several sport associations in Germany.

And Alfos Mhondiwa, vice-chairperson of Mashonaland West Handball Association, yesterday said they were taking their tour of Germany seriously as he believes it will help them nurture players who will represent Zimbabwe at major international events in future.

“Our trip to Germany is beneficial because it will help our players to get the much-needed international exposure and at the same time it will help them to interact with young German handball players who are looking at turning professional and taking the sport as a source of living.

“So, what we are saying here is that we are going to Germany to learn and see how they groom and turn their players into professional hand-ballers as the sport is played at a professional level in that country unlike here in Zimbabwe where we play it as part of our social activities or pastime.

“We want to see handball being played at a professional level here in Zimbabwe and we hope that our trip to Germany next week will help us achieve this as we would like as many of our players to take this sport of handball seriously and hopefully play for the senior national teams in future,” Mhondiwa said.

He said preparations for the trip to Germany were at an advanced stage as most of the players, who were picked for this tour, had already applied for their visas with the Germany Embassy in Harare.

“We’re looking at taking a delegation of 25 players and officials and the team will play their matches in Hamburg under our provincial select side Mashrhino. We are still in our fund-raising drive as we need about $25 000 for this trip,” Mhondiwa said.

Upon their arrival in Hamburg, the Mashrhino select side will first take part in the Hanse Cup on April 4 and 5. This international tournament is mainly designed for junior teams from Germany, the Netherlands and Austria; and the Zimbabweans will play there as guests of the Hamburger Handball Association before they get involved in a 11-day training and coaching programme for their players and coaches.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Handball Federation are gearing up for their general meeting to be held next week in Kariba to elect a new substantive executive that will lead the mother body for the next four years.

The elections are slated for March 31 and all posts are up for grabs.

ZHF secretary-general Alphios Magiya said nominations have been sent in and are waiting for confirmation from some of the nominated candidates. The current executive is led by Amon Madzvamuse and he has accepted his nomination for next week’s elections.

“Nominations are in but some people are yet to confirm because what we do is when provinces send in their nominees we write to those nominated for them to confirm if they accept.

“For the president’s post Amon Madzvamuse has confirmed that he will be contesting. Simbiso Mpepereki, who is the current vice-president was nominated but he has not yet confirmed.

“For the vice-president we have two people that have confirmed, that is myself and Allan Mandeya.

“Mpepereki has also been nominated for the secretary-general’s post together with Clemence Tauro. I was also nominated for the post but I did not accept because I am only vying for one post,” said Magiya.

Jameson Simbanhete and Reginald Tsimba have accepted their nomination for the treasurer’s post while Stuart Sanhewe is yet to confirm.

For the two committee members position there are six nominations.

Magiya said they will first hold the Women in Sport general assembly this Friday in Gweru where the 10 provincial representatives will choose their national executive to lead women.

“On Friday we will have Women in Sport general assembly in Gweru where the women who were elected in the committee’s provincial executives will have an assembly to put in place a substantive national executive. The elected chairperson will then participate in the general election in Kariba.”