Mabvuku/Tafara Sports facilities crisis

Since the fall of Rhodesia, every government that has come into power has carried the same tragic blind spot: a failure to understand the transformative power of sport. For decades, sport has been dismissed as a "leisure activity" or "extracurricular", rather than what it truly is: an economic engine, a GDP contributor, a social stabiliser, and a nation builder.

This is not just neglect. It is a dereliction of duty.

While other nations have recognised sport as a billion-dollar industry that creates jobs, attracts investment, stimulates tourism, and curbs social ills, we have chosen to dismantle and erase the very infrastructure meant to nurture athletes and communities. And we do this in the name of development. But is it development to take away a people's future?

If one looks around Mabvuku/Tafara for evidence , here is the  tragedy:

1. The Mabvuku Sports Center, brought down to make way for the Scotland Football Club soccer field - in an area once surrounded and designated for sport and recreation. All sporting facilities were sacrificed at the expense of one single sporting discipline, soccer. Cricket, rugby, basketball and tennis – all these disciplines have produced national team products as players and coaches and have hosted a range of international teams such as England and the West Indies.A single soccer field now stands where Mabvuku/Tafara athletes once played basketball, netball, tennis, rugby, hockey and social soccer – facilities that gave opportunities, built careers, and kept young people engaged.

2. Residential stands, car parks, and churches, built on recreational land that once housed a thriving park, a space where children and families bonded, played, and grew together.

The sports recreational facility behind Salvation Army Church, Tafara recreational facilities and the one between the library and the Mabvuku clinic - an irreplaceable loss of recreational space for learners who should have been nurtured to discover their gifts.

What message does this send to a young boy who dreams of playing basketball or a girl whose destiny may lie in netball? That their dreams can be bulldozed at any time, because churches and residential stands benefiting one land baron are more important than their future.

And now we stand shocked at the growing number of junkies, young men and women lost to drugs and hopelessness.

We should not be shocked. We closed their playgrounds. We demolished their pitches. We suffocated their talent pipelines. We forced them into a corner, telling them in no uncertain terms that their only chance at survival was to become a doctor, lawyer, or accountant, never an athlete.

Yet history and global evidence prove otherwise. The NBA in the United States, the Premier League in England, athletics in Kenya and Jamaica, rugby in South Africa, and cricket in India are not hobbies; they are multi-billion-dollar industries. They feed families, employ thousands, and project national pride to the world stage.

Mabvuku has generated exceptional talent. Among them are former football players Brenna Msiska, Joe Mugabe, Cephas Chimedza, and the twins William and Wilfred Mugeyi. Desmond Ali is one of the sports administrators that Mabvuku has produced

But here in Zimbabwe, our community leaders have systematically stripped sport of its dignity, its infrastructure, and its potential.

It is time we interrogate our government, how much longer will sport be sidelined? How much longer will churches and residential stands benefiting greedy land barons be prioritised over stadiums, fuel stations over basketball and tennis courts, and Masowe churches over parks?

If we continue down this path, we are not just losing athletes. We are stealing destinies. We are condemning an entire generation to hopelessness and substance abuse, when in fact they could have been champions, role models, and contributors to our GDP.

True development is not the erasure of recreation. It is its expansion. True community leadership recognises that sport is not a luxury; it is a necessity. Until our governments wake up to this reality, Zimbabwe will keep losing. And not just on the pitch, but in the economy, in society, and in the soul of our nation.

This is a call to the Ministry of Youth, Sport & Arts, the Ministry of Local Government, and the Ministry of Infrastructure: stop erasing sport and start investing in it. Restore our playing fields. Build facilities. Protect recreational spaces. Give this generation of Zimbabweans the chance to dream, to compete, and to contribute.

Because when you bulldoze a sports ground, you are not just destroying a field; you are bulldozing the destiny of a nation.

This is not about pointing fingers at any individual or government of the day but about urging Zimbabwe to rethink its long-term policy direction. Sport is a national asset, and if we are to harness it for economic growth and social stability, future governments must treat it as a pillar of national development rather than an afterthought.

Many of the facilities that the council owns are in poor condition, and it has no ability to maintain anything that it owns. All it needs to do is let those who can afford it develop these areas.

For services, they require training in urban and city planning. Regretfully, all municipal and rural authorities act in this manner. Every area has been transformed into plots and housing projects.

One will witness the worst if they visit Gweru, Jerera Rural District Council. These land barons should be opposed by the populace.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Reconsider the Decision: The council's decision to prioritise soccer should be revisited, taking into account the broader implications for the sports community.

2. Transparency and Community Engagement: Ensure that all stakeholders, including athletes, coaches, and community members, are involved in the planning and decision-making process.

3. Explore Alternative Funding: Seek alternative funding sources to support the development of sports facilities, rather than relying on a single individual or source.

Email - konileonard606@gmail.com 
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