The ManicaPost
Ray Bande Senior Sports Reporter
MUTARE City Council Town Clerk Joshua Maligwa has kept his promise to improve the standards of sport, not only within the local authority, but in the city at large.
Maligwa, who made the pledge during Minister of Sport and Recreation Makhosini Hlongwane’s tour of sporting facility in the eastern border city in March, has lived by his word after successfully hosting the first Mutare City Council Sports Festival last weekend.
The festival saw different departments within the local authority battling for supremacy in different sporting disciplines that include football for men and women, darts, tug-of-war, volleyball, pool and chess. In his address at the Mutare City Council Sports Festival last Saturday, Maligwa said his office would include sports-related issues on the budget for next year.
“It is encouraging that we have started this without a budget specifically for it. We are not going back. We will make sure that we will have a budget for it next year and improve on the standards of competition. “As Mutare City Council, we take sports seriously and we will certainly make sure our employees partake in sports as well as support our sporting teams,” he said.
Hlongwane, who was guest of honour during the Mutare City Council Sports Festival, praised the Maligwa-led Mutare Municipality for its improved attitude towards sporting activities which saw the local authority holding its first Mutare City Council Sports Festival.
Apart from promoting good health within its workforce, the Mutare City Council Sports Festival is also meant to select teams that will partake in the Inter- City Games where local authorities come together to compete in various sports disciplines and this year the games will be held in Bindura.
“Today marks the birth of the anticipated Mutare City Council Sport Festival envisioned to develop a culture of physical fitness amongst the workers and residents of the eastern border city.
“Therefore, it is pleasing to note that Mutare has taken the lead in aligning its public service mandate by implementing policy dictates set out by the Ministry of Sport and Recreation. Mutare is riding in the right course as it has initiated the formation of 43 teams.
“The formation of these clubs in this city goes a long way in adequately supplying the human capital for the National Urban Councils Festival which has been set in motion to widen competitive participation in sport and recreation.
“I have no doubt that the ardent and continued adherence to this initiative will promote healthy lifestyles and overstep sedentary habits,” said Hlongwane.
