Mwana Group announces programme for Rugby Festival

By Caleb Chikwawawa
Mwana Group has promised an eventful rugby festival starting late this month with President Emmerson Mnangagwa listed as the main guest at the popular sporting event.
Dubbed Mwana Group International Rugby Festival, the seven-day event makes a welcome return after a hiutus caused by Covid-19.
Organisers have slated the event for the period between 28 April and 4 May, 2024.
Mwana Group Managing Director Dr Kuda Mutenda told the media that the popular rugby event will be a massive festival which will come with a hive of other activities to attract huge attendance.
“In the seven days, three thousand plus athletes are going to participate. We are expecting hundred thousand people to come as supporters.
“This is quite big in terms of numbers, nothing gets bigger than this.
“Our programme is that we start on Sunday 28 April.
“The primary schools cup and then we have Monday 29 April, official opening ceremony hopefully our guest of honour will be Professor Amon Murwira from the Ministry of Education and then Tuesday, we have tier 1 games.
“Wednesday its family day on 1 May, our guest of honour will be Honourable T. Machakaire from the Ministry of Youth.
“On Thursday, we have tier 2 games with the Rugby dinner being held in Britain Hall. On Friday, the 3rd day of May, we have Honourable Kristy Coventry as our guest of honour.
“On Saturday the fourth of May which is the final day and the block-buster event, we have three national team games fixtures, Zimbabwe against Zambia, the ladies team, under 20 team and the senior men’s team.
“Some of you might not know this but the senior men’s team last played a game more than three years ago and last played a game in Zimbabwe more than four years ago so this is the first time that I am introducing rugby to the men’s team as well.
“Our guest of honour will be H.E Comrade E.D Mnangagwa.”
He added, “Not only that we have rugby, but we have different things happening as well.
“We have what we call side sources, the whole idea of our festival is that we are trying to enlarge the people coming to watch rugby.
“Besides the traditional people that come to watch rugby, we are trying to enlarge the supporters, to enlarge the sponsors and to enlarge the corporate presence as well so we have car shows, play centres family braai day, old boys day, anti-drugs campaign, headmaster’s lunch, Zim bikers show and we have live music.”
The Deputy Minister for Youth Empowerment Development and Vocational Training, Kudakwashe Mupamhanga commended Mwana Group for reviving the rugby festival.
“I would like to thank everyone involved for this opportunity and also for bringing this festival back to life.
“I know that when Covid came, it also signalled the death of this festival and it has taken a tremendous effort to bring it back,” he said.
“I think it’s important for not only the school to keep tradition but also for us as a country. We are grateful that it’s back.
“Sport is more than just kicking a ball around, it is a means of development and it has other issues that it touches such as diplomacy.
“When international teams come, it’s a form of diplomacy that when we come together for sporting events, we find ways of increasing bilateral ties.”