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The Manyara Irene Muyenziwa (MIM) Foundation sponsored football tournament has been embraced in the Seke Rural area since it is poised to promote and effectively advance harmony among the residents regardless of ethnicity, faith, status, gender preference, the status of occupation in the public arena, or political affiliation.
Tinashe Eric Muzamhindo, the man spearheading the MIM Sports Tournament in Seke Rural while announcing the sporting jamboree to ecstatic residents at a colourful event in Ditima Village on Sunday (yesterday), said sports are a unifier and agent for community development.
“As MIM, we are advocates for peace and development. As such, we have realized the power of football in uniting people hence our launch of the MIM Foundation Football Tournament. This augurs well with MIM’s hope to promote and effectively advance harmony among all the residents of Seke Rural without paying attention to ethnicity, faith, status, gender preference, the status of occupation in the public arena, or political affiliation,” Muzamhindo said.
In his tournament acceptance speech, Solomon Dzviti, the Sports Coordinator for the MIM Football Tournament for Seke Rural District where he is a resident, said the sporting extravaganza comes in handy since it has many benefits for the community.
“I would like to express my utmost gratitude to the MIM Foundation for coming up with this brilliant idea of a football tournament for Seke Rural District. Sporting activities are a vehicle for unity and development.
“Let me hasten to clarify that most of our youths in this area are unemployed and since most of them used to rely on the informal sector for vending in order to eke out a living in these trying economic times exacerbated by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of them had turned to drug abuse, particularly crystal meth known as mutoriro in local parlance. This football tournament will occupy them and is aptly positioned as a vehicle for the youths to move out of this predicament,” Dzviti said.
Simbai Kanzimbe, the Chairman of the MIM Football Tournament, was also full of praises for the initiative.
“This tournament provides a networking opportunity for our youths. Since MIM Foundation is into income-generating projects like chicken rearing as witnessed at this venue, the tournament provides a window of opportunities for our youths to venture into agri-businesses with a view of economically empowering them.
“I am sure this tournament will occupy our youths – a situation I am confident will reduce crime rate in this area since our elders had an adage that says an idle mind is a devil’s workshop. True to that, MIM has come today with a clear message that all work and no play make John a dull boy. That means that even residents who are formally employed will have the chance to refresh through football,” Kanzimbe said.
Nomatter Nyamhiki, a committee member of the MIM Football Tournament said her participation will encourage fellow women to play football.
“Women’s soccer is becoming a popular source of entertainment worldwide. You will reckon that there is a World Cup for women’s soccer. Thus football has many opportunities including travel and economic empowerment for players,” Nyamhiki said.
There will be teams drawn from Seke Rural that will battle it out for a lion’s share of the whopping US$4000 prize money. The teams are Murape, Murambinda, Zhanje, Chinamano, Gunners, Chikumbamarara, Chirimamhunga, and Chakwizira.