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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
MATABELELAND North capital Lupane, will today come to a standstill when the hugely popular Jumbo the mascot visits the place together with the official African Union Sports Council Region 5 Under-20 Games torch.

The torch has been taken to other provincial capitals and today Matabeleland North Provincial Minister of State Cain Mathema becomes the ninth provincial minister to receive the torch before it makes it final journey to Bulawayo where it will stay until the Games roar into life next month.

President Mugabe officially lit the torch at the State House on September 18. Minister Mathema is expected to give a brief speech where he will touch on the importance of the Games as well as encouraging Matabeleland North to attend the sporting jumboree en masse.

“The Matabeleland North tour is on tomorrow (today). Jumbo, the mascot will also be taken to the rural folks as we expand our marketing of the Games to peripheral areas. We will have a road show within Lupane business centre and residential areas before coming back to Bulawayo,” said the local organising committee’s head of marketing Kennedy Ndebele.

Ndebele said on their way back, Jumbo will take brief stops to meet villagers in areas like St Lukes’, Insuza and the Benisi area.

Meanwhile, the road show will continue tomorrow in Bulawayo covering western areas like Pumula Old, East, North, Nkulumane and Nketa.

Jumbo has proved to be very popular during the road shows with scores of residents, young and old stampeding over each other to catch a glimpse of the mascot.

Ndebele’s committee has been working hard to market the Games to the masses with indications so far pointing to full houses in most of the competitions when the Games start as a result of the aggressive marketing.