Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
A FIELD of about 100 golfers is expected to compete in the 2024 edition of the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) Commissioner General’s Goodwill Trust Golf Tournament set for the 18-hole Hillside Golf Club in Mutare on June 29.
ZPCS recently hosted a luncheon where business executives from different sectors of the economy gathered to get an appreciation of the charity initiative.
In an interview on the sidelines of the luncheon, Commissioner General’s Goodwill Trust Golf Tournament chairman in Manicaland, Martin Nyaundi – who is also a member of Hillside Golf Club – said they are targeting not less than 100 golfers.
“It is our aim to have not less than 100 golfers for this event. If we manage to get to 120, the better. The good thing is that we are getting encouraging response from golfers beyond Manicaland,” he said.
ZPCS Officer Commanding Manicaland, Spetosomusa Chinobva outlined the idea behind the sporting charity initiative.
“As ZPCS Manicaland, we had this stakeholder’s luncheon ahead of the golf tournament on June 29. We invited businesspeople from in Manicaland just to explain to them the reasons behind the golf tournament. The golf tournament is part of a fundraising initiative for the Commissioner General’s Goodwill Trust Fund.
“The Goodwill Trust Fund, established by the Commissioner General, is there to cater for disadvantaged members of the organisation in the sense that we have late officers who left behind children, widows or widowers, who are not employed.
“So we are there to try to raise funds to pay for the late officers’ children’s school fees mainly, and also cater for their welfare. Of late, the Commissioner Generals’ Goodwill Trust Fund has extended its hand, not only to people who are associated with the ZPCS, but to other ordinary members of the society, hence we have decided to partner the people of Manicaland to come on board to help the disadvantaged in our society,” he said.
Chinobva said the Goodwill Trust Golf Tournament also seeks to have a win-win outcome by also affording businesses an opportunity to showcase their products and services as a way to promote their enterprises.
“We have seen that most of the disadvantaged children are academically talented, so we are trying to inspire hope where hope has been lost through death or other circumstances that are beyond them.
“So, basically, this is the gist of todays’ luncheon to have our stakeholders understand where we are coming from and where we are going. We are hoping that on June 29 most of them will come, not only top play golf, but to exhibit their products so that they can make money and remain in business,” she said.
Meanwhile, Vincent Chidambizana emerged victorious in a poorly attended 2024 edition of the annual Hillside Masters competition held recently at Hillside Golf Club.
A total of 14 golfers competed in the Championship Division of the tournament where vastly gifted 16-year-old Mutare based national team player, Brendon Amn settled for second position.
