By Yvonne P Mangani
MUSHAGASHE – More than 600 participants from Zimbabwe’s ten provinces gathered at
Mushagashe Vocational Training Centre for the Intra-Ministerial Sports Gala hosted by the
Ministry of Agriculture on May 1, 2026, with Permanent Secretary Professor Obert Jiri calling
for the event to become a permanent fixture on the ministerial calendar.
The fiveday gala, which ran from 27 April to 01 May featured men’s and women’s soccer,
tugofwar, netball, chess, darts, and volleyball.
Harare Cluster 2 clinched the gold medal, Harare Cluster 1 took silver, and Mashonaland West
secured bronze. The host province, Masvingo, finished fourth overall.
Addressing the participants, Professor Jiri applauded the discipline shown throughout the
competition. He said he had not heard of any competitor using performanceenhancing drugs, and
noted that even though participants work closely with farmers and could access crops, none
brought any substances to the gala to showcase their talent.
“I never heard of a person who used drugs so that he or she could run faster. Even if you have the
potential of growing them because you help farmers farm, and you can plant them whenever you
want, you did not come with any so that you could showcase your talent. Thank you very much
for the discipline,” said Professor Jiri.
He proposed that the sports gala be institutionalized with full ministerial support, adding that kits
and resources would be provided and that participating staff would attend sessions throughout
the gala period instead of routine office duties.
Twelve tablets were awarded as prizes, ten went to outstanding players selected across the
provinces, one to the DJ, and one to the best firstaid team member.
Masvingo’s women’s chess coach celebrated her team’s gold medal and praised the players’
unity and team spirit.
“I want to thank the ladies for their interest in chess, their passion, unity and one love. I thank
our leaders who arranged this and say they should make it continue. We are happy as women and
as a chess club,” she said on the sidelines.
One participant Kudakwashe Chikavaza said the gala allowed Agritex staff to share solutions to
workplace challenges beyond WhatsApp groups. He explained that sharing problems helps staff
realise that others have faced similar issues and can offer practical solutions.
“You may think that you have a big problem on your shoulders, but upon sharing you will realise
that when you share it, someone will tell you how they tackled that problem at their workplace. It
will be easier for you,” said Chikavaza.
In his welcome remarks, Agritex Provincial Director for Masvingo, Caleb Mahoya, thanked
participants for their enthusiasm. He noted that Masvingo’s soccer team excelled last year and
said the athletes appeared fitter than when they arrived. He expressed hope that participants had
learned from one another and would show progress as hosts.
“I hope we now know more than the people we came with from our provinces. I hope we have
learnt one or two things, which is what happens when people gather. If you are hosting next, we
expect to see changes from us, the previous hosts, showing that we are progressing,”
