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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter 

“REALISM dictates that a physically well body carries a healthy mind. It is therefore imperative that the culture of exercise in the province should not be an option but a must for all of us,” said the former Officer Commanding Bulawayo, Stephen Mutamba, during a prize presentation ceremony for the province’s Inter Stations Soccer League way back in November 2015.

Policing unlike most jobs generally needs one to be fit so as to effectively carry out your expected mandate and when the police commanders back then designated every Wednesday of each week for police officers to engage in sports, they knew what they were doing.

This is why Mutamba emphasised that the culture of exercise within the force was not an option but a must.

It worries me though that of late it has been observed that police officers no longer take this day (Wednesday) seriously. Most of them now use the time off their duties to engage in other activities like indulging in beer drinking sprees and other social ills yet by right they should be out there in the field.

I am certain, really certain that if Commissioner General Godwin Matanga was to issue a radio to all stations countrywide instructing the various station commanders to make sure that the Wednesday sports day is utilised solely for that purpose our police officers would just do that. Many great athletes that have gone on to represent the country at regional and international competitions have emerged from the police system and it was largely due to the full utilisation of the Wednesday sports day time.

Besides the aspect of competition, someone engaged in sports is disciplined and his or her morals are usually upright. The sports day also helps the police officer to socialise in a relaxed atmosphere and in the process building that social understanding of each other where they can even share some life problems they could be facing, in the process helping the organisation as they will also fully concentrate on their work unlike when someone is deeply troubled inside.

So its my appeal to Commissioner-General Matanga to make it his personal objective that the police sports day is fully utilised at all his stations for the purpose that it was intended to. Its never a shopping day. Its never a beer drinking day. It never was and it must not be.

Even the resuscitation of sporting facilities within police camps. One shudders to think that Ross Camp Stadium in Bulawayo used to play host to Super League matches because it was well maintained then. If those that once watched a Super League match at Ross Camp Stadium decided to pay a visit there today I am sure they will leave with tears in their eyes. 

Perhaps CG Matanga is not even aware that his officers are no longer taking the sports day seriously. Perhaps, as far as the generals at the police headquarters in Harare are concerned their officers still do sports when they leave the stations early on Wednesday, yeah its possible but sadly that is not the reality on the ground.

Station commanders must also play ball and make sure that ‘abantwana babo’ are not playing truant on Wednesdays.

The only sporting discipline that I have seen fully utilising this day is football, especially here in Bulawayo. The inter stations league matches are always played on Wednesday unless there are serious police duties that need to be performed on the day, which is understandable because surely you can’t be playing football when the City is under siege or even when the Head of State is in the City.

But sports is not soccer. Let us have the ladies also actively involved in sports. Why not have the inter stations netball league? If we have few female police officers then let them play within their stations.

We have had great tennis players like Maria Ndlovu among others. Do they take to the tennis courts on Wednesdays or they now just leave the station and go home because there is nothing to do or no one to play against?

So to the Police Commissioner-General Matanga, I sincerely appeal to you sir to just wire a radio to all police stations to make sure they observe the Wednesday sports day for the purpose that it was set aside for. This can only help the organisation to have physically and mentally fit officers. This by the way does not mean to say our officers are not fit.

Looking forward to amaWednesday!