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Tadious Manyepo-Sports Reporter

CLOSE to 5 000 people gathered for the finals of the inaugural Kambucha Drink-sponsored anti-drug and substance abuse football and netball festival at the Mabhidhi Grounds in Mbare last Sunday amid optimism the scourge will eventually pave way for normalcy.

Spearheaded by Zimdancehall musician, Tawanda Mumanyi, known in the music circles as Seh Calaz, who is brand ambassador for Kambucha Drink, the tournament that ran for four days saw 12 boozers football teams, eight netball sides and four Under-14 football clubs battling it out for honours.

The tournament was sponsored to the tune of US$10 000. Footballers, including the Ngezi Platinum pair of Gareth Madhake and Marvellous Mukumba as well as Dynamos’ Emmanuel Ziocha who all hail from Mbare, graced the occasion and hailed the initiative by Kambucha.

Eric Francis Niyonsaba, the founder of Kambucha Drink Zimbabwe, said his company will not tire in their efforts to fight drug abuse in Mbare.

“When I arrived in Zimbabwe, I spent more than five years living in Mbare and I can tell you that I saw many youths abusing drugs. It is something that left me wondering what they would become in life.

“There are so many drug bases in Mbare and when I started my Kambucha Drink business in 2020, I had that in mind. I mean, I have seen the youths in Mbare battling mental illnesses after rampant abuse of drugs.

“So, as Kambucha Drink we have decided to use sport as a way of fighting drug abuse amongst the youths. We have poured a substantial amount of money for this football and netball sports festival in Mbare,” he said.

“This is the beginning of frequent engagement that we will have with the Mbare folk. I am happy we have managed to talk to thousands of people who graced this tournament here.

“This marks the official beginning of a countrywide crusade in which we will tackle drug abuse using sport.”

Seh Calaz said this is the first step in tackling the scourge.

“I think we managed to attain the goals we had set for the football and netball festivals. Primarily, we wanted to give back to the community which we did. We managed to draw people together so that we could teach them about drugs including the do’s and don’ts for those who are already into drugs and to teach those who are not yet into the dangers,” said Seh Calaz. “I am happy we managed to do just that. Sport unites people and we will not tire in our efforts to fight drug abuse and other criminal activities using sport.

“Leaving drugs is not an overnight thing but we will try to be persistent as we go. We will go around the suburbs and eventually around the whole country.”

The anti-drugs sports tournaments will be taken across the country on a weekly basis according to Kambucha Drink managing director, Willard Chinguwa.