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Kazembe Kazembe

Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters Association have welcomed the appointment of former Dynamos secretary-general Kazembe Kazembe as the new Minister of Sport, Arts and Recreation, a move which they said will help take sport to a higher level in this country. Kazembe is one of two former football club administrators who were among those who were recently given ministerial posts by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in a new 22-member Cabinet.

He took over the post from Makhosini Hlongwane. Ziyambi Ziyambi, former treasurer of the now-defunct Premiership side Shooting Stars, also took over the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs from Happyton Bonyongwe in the new Government set-up.

And the ZNSSA, through their founding father, Eddie “Mboma” Nyatanga, yesterday said the appointment of the two ministers, especially that of Kazembe, was a welcome development which they said will go a long way in helping to uplift the standards of all sporting disciplines, including football, in this country.

Nyatanga said Kazembe was “a youthful” leader who they have full confidence in as he (Kazembe) recently pledged to cleanse the local sports fraternity by weeding out corrupt administrators. “First, I would like to congratulate Kazembe Kazembe for being appointed as the new Minister of Sport, Arts and Recreation and I’m quite sure that he will take off from where his predecessor Makhosini Hlongwane left.

“We would also like to see Kazembe Kazembe forging a good working relationship with the Philp Chiyangwa-led ZIFA board because football is the biggest sport, not only in this country, but world over, watched by millions and millions of people. As everbody knows, Chiyangwa has endeared himself as an astitute football administrator which has seen him being appointed to several key posts in both the Confederation of African Football and COSAFA and this has helped to put our country on the world football map.

“And with this in mind, we would like to see Minister Kazembe Kazembe reaching out to Chiyangwa so that they forge a good working relationship which will see our football reaching greater heights,” Nyatanga said.

The local football supporters boss also said that Minister Kazembe should also work hard and see that the senior national soccer team — the Warriors — qualify for the 2019 African Cup of Nations finals in Camerron. Nyatanga’s sentiments were echoed by ZNSSA executive member, Fortune “Giant” Bgwoni, who also said Kazembe must unite all the forces in local football and see that “petty issues” are not entertained in the soccer circles.

“We (the ZNSSA) are not politicians but a group of progressive people who are there to support our national soccer teams. We advocate for the development of the sport in this country and I’m quite sure the new Minister of Sport, Arts and Recreation will lead us through this avenue.

“Look, since we attained our Independence in 1980, we have only managed to build one football stadium in this country and this is not good for the development of the sport in Zimbabwe. Most of our stadiums are in a dilapidated state.

“So, we are also hoping that the new minister will work hard and see to it that proper structures are put in place by the relevant authorities which will see us constructing up to four state-of-the-art soccer stadiums around the country,” Bgwoni said.

He also said Kazembe must weed out corrupt administrators in all the national sport associations if we are to get massive financial support from the corporate world.