The Sunday News
Simba Jemwa, Online Correspondent
EIGHT teams from Nguwanyana in the Mangwe district of Plumtree are set to take part in the inaugural Kits4causes/Ernest Shirinda Foundation and Malipiti Football Club Soccer Tournament on April 23.
The event is the brainchild of Khulekani Malipiti Dube who is now based in Birmingham, United Kingdom who will be celebrating his 50th birthday and also launching his football club, Malipiti.
The tournament will be played in the newly-built Malipiti Football Club grounds which are next to Dube’s homestead in Nguwanyana Village, 45km from Plumtree town towards Mpoengs and Brunapeg.
Sponsored by UK-based, Kits4causes, the South African-based Ernest Shirinda Foundation and his own Malipiti Football Club who have been working to keep the “club and dreams firing”.
The tournament will comprise four teams made of players over 21 years and four teams with under-21 players. Teams will have the opportunity to win prizes that include a cup, uniforms from the Kits4causes, as well as footballs and soccer boots from the Ernest Shirinda Foundation.
“All teams will be coming from around Plumtree, but as this will now be an annual tournament, in future we will look for competitors from around Zimbabwe. We want to use this tournament to empower local teams with equipment like uniforms, boots, soccer balls etc. to encourage them to take football seriously in our region,” said Dube.
Speaking to Sunday News Online about his football club, Dube said: “I formed the football club on my birthday on 3 March last year. Initially, it was just to help get the young village boys off the street to minimise criminal activities such as alcohol, drugs etc. and it’s now bearing fruits. Now after working with young boys my goals have changed, my long-term goal is to finally produce professional footballers from my own club. At my club which will be based at Nguwanyana, my target is players who are under 21,” he added.
Dube was born and breed in Nguwanyana, attending Nguwanyana Primary School and Tahangana Secondary School all in his home village of Nguwanyana. @RealSimbaJemwa
