Spread sport to rural areas: Kazembe
MINSTER of Sport, Arts and Recreation Kezembe Kazembe has said he is going to implore all the sports codes under his ministry to spread the all sporting disciplines even to the remote areas.
Kazembe said he wants to see rural communities getting access to sporting facilities saying that can only be achieved by improving the infrastructure in the country.
“Most importantly like what the Minister of Finance (Patrick Chinamasa) said we are now targeting to resuscitate sporting infrastructure, that is our priority number one.
“We want to make sure that everyone gets access to sport, to make sure that every sport has facilities even in remote areas, for example sporting disciplines like rugby and tennis must be played even in rural areas. Why not?,” asked the Minister.
Kazembe also said he is going to implore all sports codes that are in debt to start the process of paying creditors.
He said paying off creditors has the potential to build the much needed rapport that could see the flowing back of the sponsorship deals in local sport.
Zimbabwean sport has largely been on a recession and the absence of viable corporate sponsorships has been attributed as the Achilles heel for the dwindling fortunes of almost all the sporting codes.
Officially bringing down the curtain on this year’s edition of Zimbabwe National Youth Education through Sport Festival (YES) games in Gweru on Sunday the Minister said paying dues would out associations in good light.
“I am reliably informed that there are people who are owed money for services previously rendered and these people are complaining.
“Those are the areas we want to be addressed so that going forward we have good relationships with our service providers.
It puts us in bad light internationally. Resources permitting those are other areas we want to deal with as a matter of agency.
“The other important thing that needs to be addressed is transparency in whatever we are doing.
“We also want to weed out corruption completely so that we attract sponsorship in sport.
At the moment everyone in the country is happy that we are in a new era so we must ride on that excitement to do the right thing.
“How do we do the right thing? We must be transparent and corruption free, we must weed out corruption at all other levels,” said Kazembe.
The event was also attended by the host province’s Minister of State Owen Ncube who commended organisers for staging the games and also promised another warm reception in the Midlands when athletes come for next year’s National Youth and Paralympic Games.
Local Organising Committee marketing manager Lizzie Murandu thanked partners, media, sponsors, TM Group and everyone involved in whatever capacity for making the games a success.