uMthunywa
Nkosilathi Sibanda
UMJAHO wenkampani kaLoliwe iNational Railways of Zimbabwe Rail Trail Half-Marathon ungabe uqoqwe ngesikhathi esifaneleyo kwezemidlalo koBulawayo nanko phela usuthole usekelo olwedlulisileyo kubagijimi.
INRZ iphendukise lumjaho lonyaka ngesikhathi idolobho lakoBulawayo lithakazelela iminyaka engu-125 njalo ngalesi isikhathi kukhunjulwa lesitimela sakuqala ukufika kuleli esangena koNtuthu ngo1897 kusabusa abelungu.
Umjaho lo ukhona mhlaka 3 Lwezi. Ngokuzwa kwephephandaba likazulu, umncintiswano uzaqhutshwa minyaka yonke.
Inhlanganiso emele abagijimi esabelweni sakoBulawayo ithe iNRZ yenze kuhle ngokuqoqa umjaho umnyaka usiyaphela kanje ngoba abagijimi sebeseduzane lokuthi bayephumula belinde ukuqala phansi ngomnyaka ka-2020.
Isikhulumi seBulawayo Athletics Board (Bab) uManuel Mpofu uthe ugatsha lwabo luzasekela ngokupheleleyo umncintiswano.
“Umjaho weNRZ lo umkhulu kumidlalo yokugijima. Ubukhulu bawo yikuthi uza ngesikhathi kungela eminye imincintiswano elizweni, okuyikho okwenza kube lokukhwabitha kubagijimi esilabo koBulawayo labaphuma phandle kwedolobho,” kutsho uMpofu.
UMpofu uthe baphezulu kokukhankasa kumalunga abo lakunhlanganiso yeNational Athletics Association of Zimbabwe.
Kubikwa labo abafuna ukuphatheka kulumjaho kumele babhadale i$50. Abantwana bazakhipha i$25.
“Asambeni ngobunengi bethu siyesekela lumjaho. Bonke abalesifiso sokugijima bavunyelwe ukuthi bayelobisa amabizo emahofisini amakhulu eNRZ eParkade Centre, ezititshini zeHarare lakoBulawayo kanye leGweru.”
Ekhuluma lentatheli yephephandaba likazulu ngokuqhuba kwamalungiselelo, okhulumela inkampani kaLoliwe uNyasha Maravanyika uthe akubizwa ozwayo.
“Kulesi isigaba samalungiselelo sithanda ukubika ukuthi konke kuhamba kuhle, abagijimi sebeqalisile ukubhadala njalo sibonga usekelo lwabo. Umango ozagijinywa awutshintshanga. Sizagijima i21km, 10km le-5km. Umjaho omkhulu uzaqalela eRaylton Recreation club,” kutsho isikhulumi seNRZ.
Inkampani kaLoliwe le izimisele ukuthi ikhiphe i$33 000 ezaphiwa njengomvuzo kwabazanqoba.
Umanqoba we-21km uthola i$3 500. Kwabe 10km kuzaphiwa i$1 000. Ozanqoba kwabakhubazekileyo uthola i$1 500.
Kubikwa imali ezangena kulumjaho izasetshenziswa ukuncedisa abadubekayo emphakathini.
Ngomnyaka odluleyo kwanqoba uTendayi Zimuto ogijimela iqembu leBlack Rhinos Athletics Club. Kuqula labomama intshantshu kwaba nguRudo Mhonderwa ololonga lePower House Athletics Club.
