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Sicelo Dube

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
TSHOLOTSHO High School has started preparations for the 2017 schools’ athletics season whose competitions kick-off early next month.

The school started its preparations for the inter-house competitions last week, the week schools opened, with headmaster Sicelo Dube confirming three weekly practice sessions.

“We are in full gear preparing for our inter-house competitions expected to provide stiff competition among athletes. The inter-house jamboree is used to select our school team to represent us when we meet other schools in the zonal competitions later next month,” said Dube.

Tsholotsho High has four houses, Gampu, Mathuphula, Magama and Tategulu, all named after chiefs from the district.

Mathuphula will be the house to beat this year after winning last year’s inter-house event.

According to Dube, the zonal clash, pitting four schools, will be held at Nemane High School over two days from February 23-24.

“After our zonal competitions, we will come up with a squad for the district competitions set for the same venue from March 2-3 where we will have 26 schools from Tsholotsho in attendance as we use the event to select a district team to represent Tsholotsho in the Matabeleland North athletics finals set for Nkayi High School from March 16-17,” Dube said.

Matabeleland North will then join the other nine provinces for the national finals set for Lomagundi College in Mashonaland West province from March 30-31.

Matabeleland North province needs to improve its performance at national level as it has always struggled despite the vast talent at its disposal.

Lack of proper fields and equipment in most schools was identified as a major contributing factor to the province’s poor showing.

The province has one standard athletics field in Hwange and although some schools have upgraded their tracks to standard distances, it’s the quality of the tracks that still lacks with a number of tracks still of sand.

The province emerged ninth with five gold, six silver and nine bronze medals at last year’s nationals in Chiredzi.