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Leonard Ncube, [email protected]

GOVERNMENT has commended the business community for supporting sport after corporates joined the National Association of Secondary School Heads (Nash) with sponsorship for the Matabeleland North provincial athletics finals last week.

Nash Matabeleland North provincial finals were held at Mosi-oa-Tunya High School on Thursday and Friday.

All the Matabeleland North seven districts participated and Bubi district emerged the winners with 59 medals.

The province used the competition to select a team of 120 athletes that will represent Matabeleland North at the Nash national finals to be hosted by Matabeleland North at Mosi-oa-Tunya High School on 20 and 21 this month.

The team is expected to go into camp at Fatima High School this week.

While hundreds of spectators comprising Victoria Falls residents and learners from across the province thronged the venue to cheer the athletes, it was the significant presence of the corporate world that carried the day.

Many chipped in with donations of water and refreshments to support the event in the wake of very high temperatures and at the end of the day there were no significant incidents of athletes fainting due to dehydration.

Liquid Intelligence Technologies was the principal sponsor and donated gazebo tents for guests and technical officials, and catered for gold medallists.

The company picked sprinter Denzel Ngavia from the host school who was representing Hwange District as the best for the day and he walked away with prizes.

Denzel was also picked into the final provincial team.

Schweppes Zimbabwe, Nedbank, First Capital Bank, C A Grant International, Kingdom Blue Funeral Assurance, Telco water, Moonlight Life Assurance, Shearwater Adventures, ZB Bank, OK Supermarket and OK Mart, Honey Grade, FBC Bank provided water and refreshments.

Bonafide provided catering services while other sponsors were Zimnat, Tottengram and Inbucks.

The Victoria Falls City Council also provided a water bowser and together with Makomwe Transport and Hardware, Hwange Colliery, NASH, Mosi-oa-Tunya School Development Committee, and Hwange Rural District Council helped prepare the grounds.

I’rock Lodge provided t-shirts for all officials while AFC Bank donated cash and the Ministry of Health and Child Care was on site for health needs. Schools provided transport for learners and teachers from across the province.

Matabeleland North Provincial Education Director Jabulani Mpofu who was guest of honour thanked the corporate world.

“To have such an event we need resources. I am happy that the corporate world helped out and this is not the end but the beginning, so continue supporting us,” he said.

Mpofu commended athletes for being disciplined.

“We are closer to the border where a lot of things are taken across but what we have observed so far is that there has been no abuse of drugs here. Some are misled into believing that when you use drugs you excel in sports, that’s not true, don’t be misled.

“Mbanje or drugs are not good, they have destroyed our country. Wherever we go and try to talk about this, let’s stay away from mbanje, they have an addiction. I am proud that you are not using drugs and we have a drug-free society here,” he said.

Representing the Ministry of Sports, Recreation Arts and Culture, Newman Masuku who is the Sports and Recreation Commission Matabeleland North Provincial Coordinator also applauded the business world for supporting the event and athletes for being disciplined.

“We are grateful that the event went well without incidents of indiscipline or drug abuse. We thank you very much for supporting the field of sport. There is the software Nash Sport System

We are trying to avoid cheating and delays in finishing. If that system can be maintained and upgraded we think we will go far, cheating has been a challenge and created lots of confusion

“We have the corporate world that has donated and we are grateful for that gesture,” he said.