New ZHF Board Charts Vision for Growth, Profession...

New ZHF Board Charts Vision for Growth, Professionalism

Patience Muchemwa- Senior Reporter

The Zimbabwe Handball Federation has ushered in a new era following the election of its new board last weekend. Taurai Muberekwa has been elected as the new President, with Clemence Tauro stepping in as Vice President. Committee members include P. Nyati and M. Chirikure.

In an interview with Zim Now, President Muberekwa outlined an ambitious vision for grassroots development and the professionalization of the sport in Zimbabwe.

"At grassroots level, our primary focus is on scholarships," said Muberekwa. "The first step will be to equip our technical personnel — coaches, referees, and so forth. We have two approaches: the ‘train the trainer’ method and the Junior Referees Project, where referees are trained from as young as twelve, fourteen, and sixteen years old.

As they grow, they graduate and officiate at regional, continental, and international games, allowing them to earn a living through handball."

He also highlighted ongoing partnerships aimed at supporting the educational advancement of young athletes.

“We have scholarship engagements with secondary schools. We will identify junior talent at grassroots level and support them through high school and into tertiary education. Institutions such as Madziva, Seke Teachers’ College, and others have already pledged to absorb some of our athletes based on their talent.”

Muberekwa emphasized the need to create a viable national league system.

"Going forward, we are going to establish a national league structure similar to football's Premier Soccer League. Junior clubs will graduate into senior clubs, and we aim to commercialize the sport. We want handball to become a profession — something players can earn a living from. To develop a professional and commercialized structure, we will engage the International Handball Federation (IHF) to support project development and infrastructure.”

He also called on schools and colleges to invest in and develop their sporting facilities, expressing a desire to build partnerships and increase the sport’s visibility.

Vice President Clemence Tauro shared his own strategic vision, focusing on strengthening the sport’s technical aspects.

“As Vice President, my main responsibility is to work with handball’s technical arms and commissions that promote and drive the sport’s growth,” said Tauro.

He outlined an action plan that includes fully constituting all commissions through elections, appointments, or interviews, noting that some commissions under the previous board lacked proper representation. Tauro stressed the need to align the current constitution to ensure all commissions fulfill their mandates, citing that the duties of the Marketing Commission are not clearly defined under the present structure.

He emphasized the importance of establishing a clear hierarchy from zonal to district, provincial, and national levels.

Tauro also announced plans to set up Handball Schools of Excellence in all provinces, targeting both primary and secondary schools. He stressed the importance of developing a club system comprising both junior and senior teams and proposed that the league structure be overseen by an Executive Board made up of club chairpersons.

Key stakeholders such as NASH, NAPH, ZITISU, and clubs will be engaged to ensure the sport's holistic growth.

On the development of women’s handball, Tauro cited his experience coaching national women’s teams and highlighted the importance of gender inclusion.

“In my coaching career, I have worked with national women’s teams, so I understand what is required. The current CAHB constitution reserves the position of Second Vice President for a woman, and we are going to implement that.”

He confirmed that by August, a Second Vice President focused on women’s handball will be appointed.

“She will focus on women’s teams, support me in technical programs, and I will support her initiatives as well.”

The newly elected board marks a fresh chapter for Zimbabwean handball, with a clear emphasis on development, professionalism, inclusivity, and collaboration.