Leaders from several corporate entities pledged support for the Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE) Vice Chancellor’s Silver Jubilee Golf Tournament which aims to provide 100 scholarships to National Sports Academy talentees at a breakfast meeting at Cresta Lodge recently.
The National Sports Academy is housed at BUSE after the Government mandated the University to identify, nurture and develop sporting talent from across Zimbabwe into world-class podium-finishing talent.
BUSE Vice Chancellor, Professor Eddie Mwenje, in his address, emphasized the importance of partnerships in developing the nation’s sporting talent.
“We convene as dedicated partners in a noble endeavour to invest in the future of sporting excellence through the provision of scholarships and infrastructure development for the National Sports Academy. This occasion also signifies the commencement of our grand Silver Jubilee celebrations,” said Prof Mwenje.
Narrating the history and successes of the Academy, Prof Mwenje detailed the recent achievements of athletes like Tapiwa Makarawu (6th place finish in the 200m Paris Olympic final) and David Nyamufarira (60m national record holder).
Peaking at the breakfast meeting, the chairman of the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ), Dr Tafadzwa Musarara accentuated the importance of partnership.
“GMAZ and BUSE have collaborated on a number of endeavours including degree programmes in milling engineering which is a first in Southern Africa,” said Dr Musarara.
Representatives from ZB, Old Mutual, Arupe Jesuit University, University of Zimbabwe and other institutions pledged to support BUSE for the initiative.
The National Sports Academy became fully operational in 2013 and by 2020 had sent athletes to represent Zimbabwe at the Junior Olympics and World Junior Championships. His Excellency the President of Zimbabwe, Cde Dr Emmerson Dambudzi Mnangagwa is the patron of the Academy.
The scholarships are awarded to talented students at primary, secondary school and tertiary levels to undertake academic disciplines while receiving professional coaching from BUSE’s world-renowned coaching staff.
To date, the Academy has over 60 athletes in several disciplines namely soccer, track and field athletics, golf, and chess under its scholarship programme.
The added scholarships will widen the academy’s recruitment net and help establish centres of excellence across the country’s 10 provinces. At these centres, talentees will be nurtured under the tutelage of professional coaches.
