The recently held Health and Safety Sports Gala hosted by ZIMRA Human Resources and Administration Division was a huge success with many ecstatic people who spoke to Revenews reporters suggesting that the gala must be an annual event.
The gala which started on the night of 11 October 2013 was officially opened by the Acting Commissioner General, Mr Happias Kuzvinzwa. In his opening remarks, Acting Commissioner General, Mr Kuzvinzwa, stressed the need for people to guard themselves against the deadly HIV/Aids pandemic which has ravaged families and communities for almost three decades. He emphasised the need for people “to abstain from having sex with multiple partners” since it was the only sure way people could guard themselves against the deadly scourge.
The competitions kicked off with a choral music competition, which saw the Kurima House choir emerge victorious. All ZIMRA stations countrywide registered their presence at the sports fiesta with most of them fielding teams in the various sporting activities such as soccer, netball, volley ball, athletics and tug-of-war.
The sports event which was running under the theme: “Health and Safety at the Workplace; A Priority for All of Us”, was also marked by exhibitions from organisations that included EMRAS, NSSA, Health Bridge Dental Clinic and the Radiation Protection Authority of Zimbabwe.
The toast of the tournament was team Bulawayo which managed to upstage most of the competitors in the various sporting activities. All in all, they scooped seven gold medals, four silver medals and one bronze medal which translated to 48 points.
Team Kurima Dortmund came second after it amassed 36 points (five gold, three silver and two bronze medals). In third place was team Mutare which accumulated 33 points (four gold, four silver and one bronze medal). Team Masvingo came fourth on the points list having accrued a total of 19 points (two gold, two silver and three bronze medals). Team Beitbridge was on fifth position after it amassed a total of 16 points (three gold and one silver medal). Coming sixth on the points list was team Gwekwekwe which accumulated nine points (one gold, one silver and one bronze medal). On seventh place was team Head Office which had a five points after amassing one silver and two bronze medals.
The talking points of the gala were teams Victoria Falls and Chichika which were the weakest links. In every discipline they bit the dust and landed positions eight and nine respectively. Both teams had no medals to show for their toil in the three-day long sports gala which ended on a high note on Sunday 13 October 2013.