Chipinge Community Cup date set

Ray Bande : Senior Sports Reporter

Simba Mwaingeni

AN ambitious project meant to ultimately bring top-flight football to the farming town of Chipinge by the end of 2018 is underway and kicks off with the holding of a potentially exciting Chipinge Community Cup on October 1.Running under the auspices of Chipinge Development Initiative Trust, the brainchild of Harare-based banker, Simbarashe Mwaingeni, the Chipinge Cup will see a total of 12 teams from Chipinge Central partaking in a football tournament.

The event will be held at Gaza Stadium.

In an interview, Mwaingeni said the initiative would involve teams in Chipinge Central Constituency, but would also incorporate teams from the other three constituencies under Chipinge District in its second edition.

The Chipinge-born banker said the project would also incorporate other sporting disciplines especially long distance running in future.

“Lack of sporting activities and depleting recreational activities as well as continued lack of support to harness talent in Chipinge has motivated me as well as my partners to come up with this idea.

“The Chipinge Community Cup 2016 is the inaugural edition of annual event that we hope to select the best 11 players and best coach after the event. We will work at giving them exposure at the highest level of the game in the country.

“This will go a long way in making them prepared for eventual competition for a place in Premiership football. In fact, we want to see Chipinge having its own viable Premiership team by the end of 2017. Other small towns now have Premiership football teams, why not Chipinge?

“I grew up in Chipinge’s sprawling high-density suburb of Gaza and I dream of a better Chipinge. To this end, I have sought partnership with other progressive elements with the development of Chipinge at heart so that we have a number of developmental projects for the area.

“For starters, we are focusing on Chipinge Central, but we hope to expand to other parts of Chipinge as we go forward,” said Mwaingeni in a telephone interview from his Harare base this week.

Apart from medals and trophies, the inaugural Chipinge Community Cup will see individual award to best performers that include goalkeeper of the tournament, top goal scorer, upcoming or most promising player, coach of the tournament, player of the tournament and a life time award for a Chipinge soccer icon.

Prize money for winners is yet to be disclosed.

Extracted from the Manica Post >>

Chipinge Community Cup To Honour Soccer Greats & Journalists

FC MOSA

Chipinge Community Cup (CCC) organising committee resolved to further extend the scope of the event to also honour the soccer legends and icons who have committed their life to the betterment of the sport in Chipinge.12 teams will battle it out in the competition on 1 October 2016 with the competition starting in Chipinge Central Constituency. The event will be extended to other constituencies in 2017 while the scope of the event will bring in other sporting disciplines to make sure that other talents are not left in the curve of this development.

The committee at a meeting held in Harare on 18 August 2016 resolved to extend the scope of the competition to expand the awards to honour two legends and two journalists. These awards will be based on votes after submission of nominations. The awards criteria are as follows;

1: Soccer Lifetime Award

This is a prize to honour an individual who committed their life to the promotion of soccer in Chipinge. An individual with a track record and passion for the sport. One who has mentored, encouraged and played part for the greater good of the sport in Chipinge and perhaps beyond.

2: Chipinge Soccer Icon/ Legend

This prize honours an individual who has done remarkably well in the sport. A track record of success and and exhibition of talen. One that beyond their success have given back to Chipinge through mentoring, coaching, partnering among other thinghs. A person whose name has gone beyond the border of Chipinge, perhaps beyond Zimbabwe's borders.

3. 2 (Two) Sports Reporters Awards

For a long time, Chipinge was left behind the curve of development but mostly Her story lack coverage. In the discipline of sport as well, there wasn't much coverage. This award seeks to celebrate the sports reporters who have done well to put the name of this land at the forefront by covering stories within and those beyond putting Chipinge on the sporting map.

As more and more support comes from the public and private sector, the scope of prizes will be expanded.

Dzoto: From Nothing To Stars !!!

Dzoto is a Ndau word for a rural-made football usually made from waste paper and some sort of rubbish. In the absence of enough financial resources in the rural and poor locations ("Ghetto" Suburbs) in Zimbabwe, young boys would improvise to make this great tool (football) that has a unique capacity to bring people together. I wrote this Ndau poem to celebrate all the football stars and star makers that did not live to accept that they did not have enough but became creative enough to make-do with what they had/have. 

Today in the humble town of Chipinge we talk of players like Lovemore Maphuya, Eddie Dube, Blessing Makunike, Zabron Grison, Millas, Gift Soko,the Chemura brothers, the Bvunzai brothers, the late Aaron Ngorima, the late Donald Shadreck, Chubwi, Mr. Mandaraza, Davie Magobeya, Nasho, Shacky Machuwaire, Casper Mlambo..the list is endless but tapping into these humble beginnings will go a long way to inspire the ordinary individual that greatness is not determined by where one is today but by what lies within themeselves. 

The poem below is an extract from my book called Maungira eChindau (Echoes of Ndau). I would like to hear your views, comments and suggestions and i also take critisim positively.

I've Been to the Mountaintop: Excerpts from Martin Luther King's speech (April 3, 1968)

"I've Been to the Mountaintop" is the popular name of the last speech delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. King spoke on April 3, 1968, at the Mason Temple (Church of God in Christ Headquarters) in Memphis, Tennessee. On the following day, King was assassinated. The speech primarily concerns the Memphis Sanitation Strike. King calls for unity, economic actions, boycotts, and nonviolent protest, while challenging the United States to live up to its ideals. 

At the end of the speech, he discusses the possibility of an untimely death. The issue is injustice. The issue is the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants, who happen to be sanitation workers. He warned the protesters not to engage in violence lest the issue of injustice be ignored because of the focus on the violence. King understood that peaceful demonstrations were the way to go and the only way to guarantee that their cry for rights would be heard and answered.

We Elect Thieves Into Office & Wonder Why We Remain Behind - Prof. Patrick Lumumba

Pofessor Patrick Lumumba

One man that continually inspires and challenges my way of thinking is Kenya's Professor Patrick Lumumba. The guys besides being a lawyer I am touched by the fact that he is widely read and challenges the status quo. Africa has for long remained behind and some areas have even gone worse after gaining independence and in his speech at the Asareca Conference, he had this to say on our House of Assembly representatives; Africa-wide; 

“Not that there is anything wrong with those institutions, but the agenda is wrong because our leaders long lost the script and ought to be described for who they are – our misleaders.”

 

But we are co-authors of our own misfortune. Whenever we are given an opportunity to elect our leaders, we are given a blank check. And if you permit me a little latitude, and if you give me a blank check and you allow me to analogize and you say that I am given the blank check to buy a Mercedes Benz, what we do is when we are called upon – having been so empowered – we buy what we call a tuk-tuk from India and we expect it to behave ike a Mercedes Benz. How does that happen?

“Because what we do is to elect thieves. We elect hyenas to take care of goats and when the goats are consumed, we wonder why.”

Chipinge Community Cup: Uniting Communities Through Soccer

Chipinge Community Cup - 2016

Soccer is by far one of the greatest sports that unite communities. The absence of formal sporting structures and less sporting activity a Community Cup for Chipinge will be a noble idea to celebrate and unite people. The event is targeted to involve all community and structures so as to foster community cohesion. As we engage with other stakeholders, we will continue to update.

The even will seek to celebrate the soccer legends of Chipinge, encourage current talent and rop in women soccer. The scope of the project will soon be expanded to include other sporting disciplines in order to include other talents outside soccer. Chipinge has talent and this can not just go down the drain thus the efforts of this project is to make sure that talent is not lost but rather cultivated to reach great heights. 

Community Gardens: One Way To Improve Household Income and Health

Community Gardens, A reflection of Togetherness

The concept of Household (HH) economy dates back to the days of Genesis when Joseph tapped into the land of Goshen. During this time, focus was given on storing enough food into the next season. While the idea of storage is synonymous with food that can last long, the other dimension is to focus on the perishables. One of the models I have seen working for some communities to improve their HH dynamics in as far as improving income, nutrition and variability.

In Zimbabwe I have had the privilege to work for some non-governmental organisations that spearheaded the model of community gardens. Apart from the said benefits, community gardens have the power to unite communities through working together, educate and uplift other families and thus improving community cohesion.

Community leadership structures have a critical role to play for this model to succeed. Chiefs who are usually the custodians of land are the apex decision makers of the communities and come in handy where awarding the land is concerned. Other leaders then come in play to assign roles, dividing the land, providing security and getting the needed assistance in terms of expertise. I look forward for more of such programs in Zimbabwe but most importantly in Chipinge where community projects seem to remain behind the curve. Lets unite to succeed.

Underdevelopment, Who Is To Blame?

Voters Queuing To Decide Their Future

Neil Padmore, a friend of mine and an environmental enthusiast always echoes the words; “Do not ask what Zimbabwe can do for you but rather ask what you can do for Zimbabwe”. This statement always inspires me to question my contribution to the development of Zimbabwe or at least to those around you. Many times particularly in some constituencies in Zimbabwe, I hear people complaining of how the government is not helping to develop their areas. As I reflect on the statement of John F. Kennedy, who really is supposed to help who? For a long time I also use to believe that it was the role of the government to foster development in these areas. 

Government’s contribution in a community follows certain protocols and in most instances it does not come where there is no need or at least where the invitation is not available. Members of the House of Assembly are the first pot of call in the Zimbabwean’s political landscape and these should come in handy to catalyst development. For so long in many constituencies, I think the choices we make about who represents us are a true reflection of the choices we committed regards our future at least for the years the incumbent is in office. A House of Assembly member reflects the ideals a Society lives by and to a greater extent a replication of their aspirations. 

Chipinge: How About A Public Library?

Public Library Bringing Smiles  To Communities

I remember very much growing up in the little town of Chipinge. Whilst farming was the backbone of this little economy, there was another hive of activity for the great population of the people's of Chipinge. The Town Council had its plan well crafted and one thing that amazed me was the existence of the Public Library facilities in both Chipinge's Town Centre and another in Gaza Township. 

I am not sure what happened to these facilities and I think its time we resume that noble part of Societal development. While Zimbabwe's library facilities seem to diminish, there is more that needs to be done to preserve this once vibrant part of the Society; that apart from enhancing community knowledge, these centers acted as hubs for meeting and thus aiding community cohesion. I have a DREAM, to see this happening again. LET'S READ AGAIN, LET'S MIX AGAIN !!!