THIS writer is an avid soccer follower, but since 2014 when Dynamos fired record-breaking coach Kalisto Pasuwa, I have rarely attended local matches for very obvious reasons.
The trailblazing Pasuwa side were just a marvel to watch as they powered their way to four titles in a row but there was always something missing when DeMbare, as the Harare giants are affectionately known, treated the crowds to those performances.
Few might have captured the dazzling performances of that well-oiled team.
But many could have missed those moments of glory.
All that is left now are distant memories which will in time vanish into the horizon.
We will, in the near future, just talk about that history-making side without showing the generations to come how this great team did it.
That is the nature of us, Zimbabweans.
We ignore critical moments of our history even when we have cameras at our disposal.
We leave our history to vanish from our grasp, we the ever busy people.
The local league too has in the past provided memorable moments that have yet to be plucked from the archives.
They are simply not there for us to relive them, those great moments.
But something beautiful which has unfortunately not been captured on camera has been happening in the local game in recent times.
In June 2017, Dynamos FC played host to Ngezi Platinum in what has since been described as one of the matches of the decade.
The match ended in a Dynamos victory as the Harare giants emerged 3-2 victors over their fancied opponents.
The match was played on June 15 2017.
On June 19 2017, veteran football commentator and analyst Charles Mabika wrote a compelling piece that was published in The Herald.
The Mabika piece brought to the fore a gripping analysis that must in future help shape our prospects for development of the game.
“This match will surely go down as not only the finest in terms of wonder finishes and end-to-end action so far this season, but also rank as one of the liveliest ever since the inception of the local premiership back in 1993.
Are we likely to watch another encounter full of such beauty, venom, style and predatory instincts this season again?”
During that epic encounter, goals for the gallery were scored but they remain etched on the memories of only those who went to the National Sports Stadium.
On Sunday, this reporter was listening to live commentary on the local radio station, National FM, where another gem of a goal was scored by Dynamos star striker Christian Ntouba Epoupa.
Again the cameras were missing.
These are the cameras that were missing too when a story that is set to transform the country’s education sector which was published by The Sunday Mail largely went unnoticed.
In a country where politics largely dominate headlines, it was not surprising that the country’s cameras did not zoom in on that enthralling story.
Perhaps the lenses will soon come to their senses.
Titled ‘US$1b for students loans’, the story is what Zimbabwe requires at the moment.
We need developmental stories that speak to the aspirations of the majority, especially youths.
For those who might have missed, below is part of the story.
“All students at institutions of higher and tertiary learning who are struggling to pay fees will start getting loans from September 2017 under a
US$1 billion Government facility.
CBZ, ZB and NMB banks; and POSB, Eduloan and GetBucks will meet half the budget, with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe covering the balance.
Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Deputy Minister Dr Godfrey Gandawa told The Sunday Mail: ‘The parent will borrow on behalf of the student, with the student becoming a co-debtor. Loan rates vary and depend on the institution.
Payment plans also vary in accordance with a parent’s income. In two weeks’ time, these financial institutions will start giving out the loans and parents can approach them directly. They should produce proof of enrolment’.
Dr Gandawa said the ministry was also exploring the possibility of reducing tuition fees for students on industrial attachment.
‘A committee is working on that. We are trying to work out a model that will work in terms of identifying what can be scrapped off and what can remain so that the lecturers can still have enough funds to be able to go out there and assess students. The ministry is looking at another option of linking up universities and industries, with the former incubating the latter.
For instance, experts in universities will partner with an industry that may not be performing well to come up with strategies that will revive the industry.
‘In turn, the university brings its students there to work as attachees whilst the industry is producing’.”
It is our hope that we will read more stories of this nature. Let not our cameras go to sleep!
Let those with ears listen.