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Sikhumbuzo Moyo in Hwange and Nonsikelelo Moyo in Victoria Falls
THE usually sleepy coal mining town of Hwange comes alive today when provinces troop in for the revised games ahead of the official start of the competitions on Monday morning.

In a true African welcome, the Hwange Youth Development Association embarked on a clean-up exercise to ensure the town is litter free when the visitors arrive.

The exercise is expected to continue throughout the duration of the games with regular clean ups and appeals for participants to avoid littering.

“We agreed that since we are hosting the Zimbabwe National Youth Games, the first thing we must show our visitors is sanity for them to see a clean Hwange,” said the association’s secretary Patience Ndlovu.

She said events ahead of the games that saw some National Sports Associations demanding that certain sport codes be moved to Bulawayo on the basis of unpreparedness, also played a huge motivational factor in the clean-up campaign.

“As you know these games were marred by confusion that Hwange cannot do this or that and if our visitors come and find us dirty, they will then say ‘look, we told you that this place is not fit to host these games’.

“As Hwange youths, we are saying we can host you guys in a clean environment. We also agreed to use participants from Hwange because they are responsible in a way for bringing these visitors to Hwange.

“We will teach them to manage litter during the games and we thank the Hwange Colliery Company that has agreed to put refuse bins in various villages where these athletes will be based,” said Ndlovu.

Meanwhile, in Victoria Falls the local organising committee was yesterday busy running around making final preparations in anticipation for the teams to arrive today.

Members of different sub committees and volunteers spent the day at Mosi-oa-Tunya High school waiting for accreditation.

Victoria Falls will play host to four codes – chess, golf, rugby and weightlifting.

Chess will be at Mosi-oa-Tunya High School with golf at Elephant Hills while rugby will be played at Victoria Falls Primary School. Weightlifting is set for Chinotimba Community Hall.