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WINNERS ENCLOSURE . . . Member of the House of Assembly for Mutare North Batsirayi Pemhenayi (left) congratulates one of the winners of the sporting events in his constituency

Ray Bande Mutare Bureau
MEMBER of the House of Assembly for Mutare North Batsirayi Pemhenayi has embarked on an ambitious sport development programme in which grinding mills and poultry project inputs are given to winners of community-based football and netball competitions in his Mutare North constituency.

Football and netball teams in Mutare North are clashing every week from one ward to another and winners are walking away with grinding meals and poultry project inputs donated by the youthful legislator.

On Sunday, a carnival atmosphere engulfed Takunda Primary School in Odzi, where people from different walks of life converged to watch Border Gezi and Tangwena community teams battle it out in football and netball.

Tangwena community team won 5-4 on penalties after the match ended one all in regulation time.

Their ladies team also won 17-3 in netball.

The ward-based games will culminate into a constituency gala to be hosted later in the year, where winning teams from the ward-based qualifiers will lock horns.

In his prize presentation speech, Pemhenayi pledged to continually host similar tournaments as a way of empowering the community in line with Government’s economic blueprint programme, Zim-Asset.

Pemhenayi said this imitative is part of his efforts to fulfil the pledges that he made in the run up to the 2013 elections.

“I am happy that we have managed to hold a successful Independence Cup tournament for people in Mutare North. This was undoubtedly a show of unity in the constituency and one hopes that the spirit will prevail for a long time to come.

“I hope we all realise that this is part of my efforts to fulfil the pledges that I made in the run-up to the 2013 elections. I should hasten to mention that the prizes are meant to further the principles of empowerment within the community, hence the Ministry of Youth together with the Ministry of SMEs will help by monitoring progress for the projects.

“It is also imperative that we note this is not going to end here, but we will have these tournaments now and again.

“It is also my sincere hope that these projects that you are about to start will give birth to many more developmental projects in the area,” said Pemhenayi.

The exciting sports events are being graced by several officials from relevant Government ministries at provincial level that include SMEs, Youth and Sports ministries.