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Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
Former President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe had sport at heart. He would take time off his busy schedule to honour and reward handsomely sporting heroes who would have excelled. State House was always open to sports stars as they were invited for luncheons and dinners hosted by the former leader of Zimbabwe who died today in Singapore at the age of 95.

Mugabe would go a step further to reward those athletes who would have put the country’s name on the map. He was also the former patron of cricket.

Sporting stars such as swimming legend and now Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Kirsty Coventry, ultra-marathon runner Stephen Muzhingi, Paralympic Games gold medallist Eliiot Mujaji and boxer Charles Manyuchi were all hosted by Mugabe at State House, receiving fat cheques too.

In 2004, Mugabe and then First Lady Grace Mugabe took Mujaji, his wife and three children for a holiday in Malaysia.

Mugabe hosted Mujaji at State House in honour of his exploits at the 2004 Paralympics Games in Athens, Greece, and rewarded him handsomely.

That same year Mugabe had honoured Coventry with US$50 000 after she returned from the Athens Olympics with a gold, a silver and a bronze medal.

The then President of Zimbabwe called her the “Golden Girl”.

In 2008 after the Beijing Olympics, Mugabe further rewarded Coventry with US$100 000 for winning a gold medal and broke the world record in the women’s 200 metres backstroke and also won three silvers in the 400m individual medley, 100m backstroke and 200m individual medley.

Muzhingi, who won the Comrades ultra-marathon in South Africa for the third time in 2011, also had a luncheon at State House where he was rewarded with $50 000 by the former President.

In 2015, Mugabe honoured World Boxing Council welterweight international champion Manyuchi at a banquet at State House where he gave the boxer US$50 000 for flying the national flag  high.

Teams such as the Warriors, the Mighty Warriors and clubs such as Dynamos and Highlanders got warm reception from the then head of the state.

The Dynamos class of 2008, who reached the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League coached by David Mandigora and had the likes of David Shoko, Edward Sadomba, Murape Murape and Justice Majabvi, also dined with Mugabe at State House.

A football tournament, the Bob Super Cup, was then introduced in 2011 to commemorate Mugabe’s birthday in February.

The first edition was Bob @87 and from there annually the Cup was held featuring some of the biggest clubs in the Premiership such as Dynamos, Highlanders and CAPS United.

The inaugural Cup was sponsored to the tune of US$40 000 and Mugabe went on to reward both the winners Dynamos and losing finalists CAPS United with US$30 000 each for participating in that match. Such was the benevolence of the man towards sport.

In 2011, the women’s football national team, the Mighty Warriors, received a huge windfall from the former President of Zimbabwe which was life changing as the players had never before received such a financial recognition.

Following their COSAFA Cup triumph which saw Zimbabwe lifting the regional Cup for the first time after beating South Africa 1-0 at Rufaro, the Mighty Warriors were invited to State House for a banquet.

Mugabe was then named the chief patron of the Mighty Warriors by ZIFA after he gave each player US$5 000.

It was life changing as successful stories for the players were later reported as players they had never received such financial support.

A women’s football national league was re-launched and was sponsored by diamond mining firm Marange Resources.

Mugabe was the guest of honour at the lavish ceremony which ushered a new dawn for women’s football in this country.