Midlands- Kimlyn Housing Trust, an emerging land development company based in Gweru has partnered with the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) to donate more than $10 000 towards the hosting of a multi-disciplinary Sports League for prison officers.
By Delicious Mathuthu
The festival, which will run for five months begins on the 26th of May and will see Midlands Prisons Officers and their dependents taking part in Athletics, Darts, Chess, Soccer, Volleyball, Netball, Pool and Tug-of-war among other disciplines.
Midlands Region Provincial Sports Officer, Assistant Principal Correctional Officer, Tasunungurwa Chikwanda said purpose of the league is to promote working together and instill a sense of completion amongst Prison Officers.
“The sports development drive is aimed at integrating sport and business in order to observe an area of interdependence, fostering team work amongst officers. Instill a sense of competition, beneficiation through engaging into sport,” Chikwanda said.
The inaugural league’s theme for this year will be “Decentralize, Promote and Beneficiate through Sport” and is set to be an annual event.
The League will incorporate all 11 Midlands ZPCS Stations with more than 97 teams having already registered to participate in the games.
“This programme is the first of its kind and has incorporated all the 11 ZPCS Midlands Stations which include Mberengwa, Zvishavane, Shurugwi, PHQ, Whawha Workshops, Whawha Young Offenders, Whawha Medium, Thornhill Satellite, Connemara, Kwekwe and Gokwe,” added Chikwanda.
The competitions will run from the 26th of May to the 27th of October 2018 at Whawha Prison Complex, Connemara Open Prison and Zvishavane.
Chikwanda expressed gratitude to Kimlyn Housing Trust for the timely donation saying this will improve competitiveness amongst officers especially in preparation for the Commissioner General Sports Week.
“We are very happy with the gesture by our partners Kimlyn Housing Trust. This will improve sport in the Province and assist in preparation of the forthcoming Commissioner General Sports Week where we are rated the most organised Province,” he said.
Kimlyn General Manager, Shelter Ndebele said his company which has also availed housing stands for prison officers will continue supporting the competition.
“We decided to partner with ZPCS because they are a non-profit making organisation and we have since availed affordable stands in Montrose for them to benefit where they will be paying a small amount for a period of up to 10 years,” said Ndebele.
