Between 2006 and 2009 Musekiwa (24) made frantic attempts to develop the minority sports. But with little help from government, the awards he won in the process came to naught. They still lag behind and this irks him.
“I really love these sports, which I used to play with my friends at school, and would really like to see them draw as many sponsors as does soccer,” said Musekiwa, who formed his first baseball club, Xport, in 2006.
“I wanted to establish a club that would churn out international stars and be a leading light in the sport. I also wanted to establish a legacy that would outlast me.”
Many people in his soccer-mad Mbare community thought he was crazy. He struggled to keep his club afloat until partnership came in the name of Mbare Cats to form Tri-Ball Cats Academy. Again, the dream was short-lived as funds quickly ran dry.
“I was very young then, but still channelled the little I had to the development of baseball, which is not that expensive to run. I did menial jobs to source the funds, but the country’s economy was not that conducive and it kept weighing down on me.”
He was soon adopted by the Better Schools Programme. “Through this initiative, we visited almost every school in Harare on outreach programs in the process giving birth to teams like Titanic Stars and Mbare Angels. Both are now defunct because of economic reasons.”
In 2007, the nomadic Director-Coach formed Royal Ballers Baseball and Softball Club, which won the National Championships that s year. In 2008 he was named assistant manager for the national baseball team. He was part of the selection and co-ordination team in the run up to the 2008 Zone 6 softball championships, held in SA.
In 2009, he was appointed Harare Ladies provincial softball team coach, where he doubled as Operations Manager for the Harare Baseball and Softball Association. He also led the Zimbabwe national softball team to a bronze medal at the Zone 6 games in the same year.
Now based in Johannesburg, Musekiwa urged the Department of Sport to court the Japanese to come back and re-develop the two sports.
“The Japanese were instrumental in the inception of these sports in 1987. They provided super training equipment, but politics played a crucial role in destroying it,” he said.
Currently studying towards a Degree in Financial Administration with IQ Academy, Musekiwa is eager to return home and continue his goal of trying to resuscitate the sports.
“I want to revisit the entire project I developed and with proper qualifications, I will definitely see to it that they are made popular.”
Post published in: Football