By Staff Reporter
HARARE — A youth sports programme expected to attract thousands of young people in Churu Constituency, Harare South, was abruptly shut down on Saturday after senior Zanu PF provincial officials allegedly ordered its cancellation and the deployment of anti-riot police to disperse participants gathered at Centurbury Primary School.
The programme, organised by ZimSport for Economic Development (ZimSport4ED), a Zanu PF affiliate organisation, which president Emmerson Mnangagwa is the patron had drawn an estimated 2,000 people, including children, athletes, coaches and community members, before it was stopped.
Multiple organisers and attendees told Newshour that Zanu PF Harare Province Vice Chairman Ephraim Fundukwa, Provincial Chairman Godwin Masimirembwa and the party’s Deputy Secretary for Security Tendai Chirau intervened to halt the event.
According to sources involved in organising the programme, the trio informed organisers that all Zanu PF affiliate activities in Harare Province had been suspended until June 30.
“The instruction was that no affiliate programme should proceed in the province before June 30.
“We were told the event could not continue despite all preparations having been completed and people already gathered,” said one organiser who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Witnesses said dozens of anti-riot police officers from the Police General Headquarters Support Unit were deployed to the venue, forcing participants to leave the school grounds.
Videos and photographs seen by Newshour showed police vehicles stationed near the venue as officers moved through crowds of young people and community members.
The disruption brought to an abrupt end what organisers had described as a grassroots sports development initiative aimed at providing opportunities for youths from disadvantaged communities.
Prior to its cancellation, ZimSport chairman Gabriel Togarepi had announced that more than 10,000 youths from across Harare were expected to participate in the broader Africa Day sports gala programme.
The event was scheduled to feature competitions in football, netball, volleyball, basketball and indoor games, with organisers positioning it as a platform for talent identification, youth empowerment and anti-drug abuse campaigns.
Several youths interviewed at the venue expressed frustration and disappointment over the decision to stop the event.
“We woke up very early and travelled here to play. Some teams came from far away and spent money on transport. We do not understand why they stopped children from playing sport,” said one teenage football participant.
Another young attendee said the cancellation had crushed expectations built over several weeks of preparations.
“We had been training every day for this tournament. We thought today was about sport and keeping young people busy. Instead we were told to go home,” he said.
Parents who had accompanied their children also criticised the disruption, arguing that organised sporting activities were essential in communities struggling with drug and substance abuse.
“These programmes keep children occupied and away from dangerous activities. It is painful to see young people chased away when they had come here for sport,” said one parent.
The cancellation has raised questions about internal tensions within Zanu PF structures, with the affected programme itself being organised by an affiliate aligned to the ruling party.
ZimSport4ED has in recent months organised several high-profile sporting activities, including an Independence Day boxing tournament that attracted national attention and corporate sponsorship.
Organisers had also announced that the Harare South initiative would support the development of sporting infrastructure in the area, including facilities intended to benefit schools and local communities long after the tournament.
Efforts to obtain comment from Fundukwa, Masimirembwa and Chirau were unsuccessful by the time of publication.
Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi had not responded to questions regarding the deployment of anti-riot officers to the venue.
By 10 a.m., participants had dispersed from the school grounds, leaving behind football kits, sports equipment, and unfinished preparations for what had been intended to be one of the largest youth sporting gatherings in Harare this year.
