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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
MATABELELAND North province was stripped of the right to stage the National Association of Primary School Heads (Naph) track and field athletics competition at the instigation of the provincial Naph leadership led by chairperson James Daka.

The national event will now be held in Bulawayo alongside the National Association of Secondary School Heads (Nash) meet from March 20-23, but the decision to deny Matabeleland North the staging rights has irked a number of school heads and other stakeholders.

“As the Naph national executive, we were approached by the provincial Naph leadership, which said it wanted to stage the athletics event in Bulawayo and we could not turn down that request. So it’s actually them who stripped the province of the staging rights. I also wanted the event to be held in Hwange as has been the case in the past,” said Naph national president Cynthia Khumalo, the headmistress of Chinotimba Primary School in Victoria Falls.

The decision to move the games to Bulawayo was allegedly reached after some school heads complained of lack of adequate accommodation in Hwange, a town that has previously hosted the same event as well as the bigger Zimbabwe National Youth Games.

However, Daka said the issue of accommodation was not for the school heads but those officiating.

“The decision to move the games from Hwange was arrived at because we have had accommodation challenges for individuals who will be officiating, not school heads. The last time we ended up accommodating them at some lodges in Zambezi (about 25KM from Hwange town), said Daka.

He said they then agreed, in consultation with Naph and Nash national executives, to co-host the meet at White City Stadium, which he claimed would also cut costs.

“The equipment is already there in Bulawayo and for us to move the Nash event to Matabeleland North would have been expensive hence it was agreed that we bring the Naph national meet to Bulawayo,” said Daka.

A sports director at a school in Hwange said it was naïve for the Naph leadership to deny the town and province the right to play host to a national event on such flimsy reasons as accommodation for officials.

“It’s not true at all that we were denied the right to stage because of lack of accommodation for  officials. We know that it’s all about them (school heads). Do you mean to tell me that Hwange can fail to have accommodation for just 80 officials, some of whom are actually resident here and will be coming from their homes?” said the the teacher.

@skhumoyo2000