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Ricky Zililo Sports Reporter
BULAWAYO has lost out on playing host to next month’s joint basketball qualifiers for the Afro-Basketball and All-Africa Games, with the Basketball Union of Zimbabwe moving the games to Harare.
The joint qualifiers set to feature five Southern African countries, were supposed to be held at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair from November 20-27, but construction is underway at the venue and it’s unlikely that it will be ready by November 20.

Work is underway at the ZITF facilities which will play host to December African Union Sports Council Region 5 Youth Games with the local organising committee chasing the November 15 deadline.

Joe Mujuru, the BUZ secretary-general confirmed that the Games are moving to Harare but was hopeful that regional and international competitions will return to Bulawayo.

“Unfortunately the Afro-Basketball and All Africa Games joint qualifiers are moving to Harare because we don’t think the ZITF will be handed over to us by the time of the Games. Right now we have started communicating with the countries that will be coming for the qualifiers to do their bookings with Harare in mind,” he said.

The qualifiers were supposed to be used as a trial-run for the December African Union Sports Council Region 5 Youth Games.

Zimbabwe will compete against Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and Angola for slots in the Afro-Basketball Championships to be co-hosted by Tunisia and Cameroon as well as the All-Africa Games to be held in Congo-Brazzaville next year.

Mujuru said Zimbabwe’s teams have started preparing for the qualifiers with Elary “Chuwe” Pinkaton and Emmanuel Mukandi taking the men’s squad through their paces while Nadi Munetsi and Innocent Katsvaruware are in charge of the women’s team.