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Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter

A RUSAPE-BORN Kwekwe-based businesswoman, Melody Nemaire, has scored a first after launching a sports academy at Makoni in Rusape over the weekend. 

The 40-year-old Nemaire, who hails from Chikore, also donated an assortment of sporting equipment for different sport codes which will be part of the grand nursery. 

Football, netball, athletics, volleyball, boxing and karate are the first six sporting disciplines the academy will be developing.

Nemaire, who grew up in this area, which is one of the remotest parts in this country, said she always harboured ambitions of developing sport in her area after seeing a lot of raw talent eventually going to waste. 

“I grew up in this area, attending Nemanje and Chikore for my primary and secondary education and I should say we had several girls and boys who were very talented in different sporting activities but they lacked support,” she said. 

“I had classmates who even went all the way to represent this whole Manicaland Province but after that, no one cared to nurture them because they were from this remote area. The truth is we have talent in rural areas not just on this side but across the country. Sometimes we fail to perform well at national level yet we have raw talent which is going to waste on a yearly basis. In a remote area like this, we are taught that education is the only way out of poverty. It is like people here and the schools play sport for recreation. 

“But now sport has become a million-dollar industry and it can be a way out of poverty. So much talent is wasted here as these boys and girls marry and start families early whenever they feel they wouldn’t have made it academically yet they have the talent to play football, netball and other sports.” 

It is against this background, Nemaire said, that she has decided to start an academy whose feeder system will include schools surrounding the area. 

“We have to catch them young. We want to make this area the hub of sports with talented individuals developing their skills at the academy whose coaches will be adequately qualified. 

“All talented kids will be pooled together and we will fine-tune their skills. From there, those who would have matured will then be allowed to join professional clubs and thereby help them earn employment from their God-given talent. We are in the process of getting the academy registered with the relevant authorities.” Sport expert Elijah Tapatapa, who made his name administering sport at the University of Zimbabwe over the past years, is now staying in this area and hailed the upcoming project. 

“We are happy as a community with this development. Nemaire has plugged a yawning gap in an amazing way and as someone who has deep knowledge in sport development and management, I stand ready to help out,” said Tapatapa. Nemaire also took time to cheer the community after donating food hampers worth over $300 000.