NewsHawks 20 May 2022

NewsHawks PPeeoople &&PPlalacceses Page 51

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

THE ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry this week unveiled
the Twalumba Trophy in Harare. Minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu was represented at the
ceremony by permanent secretary Munesushe Munodawafa.

The Twalumba National Travel and Tourism Awards (NTTA) were created by the ministry to
celebrate excellence in and Zimbabwe’s travel and tourism sector. They are awarded in a number
of categories to recognize and reward effort and achievement in pursuit of travel and tourism
growth as well as the development and well-being of the sector.

A competition will be held each year, culminating to an awards presentation ceremony.
The objectives of the NTTA are focused on three key areas:
Recognizing and rewarding operational excellence in defined business areas within Zimbabwe,
guided by the business areas defined by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) registration
process. Recognizing and rewarding effort and achievement in travel and tourism growth and
development within Zimbabwe. Recognizing and rewarding individual, group or corporate con-
tribution to the well-being of the travel and tourism sector.
The event was also attended by Tourism Business Council president Wengayi Nhau, ZTA
acting chief executive Givemore Chidzidzi, the Publicity Association of Zimbabwe and other
stakeholders.

Page 52 Sport NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

Building dreams, building champions

FOR me, my main hope was that the Zimbabwe won the African Under-20 championship in Kenya in April after beating Namibia in the final.
significance of playing on the home
turf of Siya Kolisi and Makazole rienced teammates. have come his way from a young age. maker of the team, was massive. weekend and was a livewire on the
Mapimpi would not be lost on Zim- The biggest takeaway for me in From St Joseph’s House for Boys, a Cool, calm and collected, the wing, strong on both attack and de-
babwe’s young newcomers against fairly comfortable orphanage in sub- young number 10 did not disappoint fence.
Border Bulldogs in East London last Zimbabwe’s 18-8 win over Border, urban Harare where boys are given all at all on Sunday, orchestrating both
weekend. from a development point of view, the support and platform to prosper attack and defence well and mak- And like his Under-20s coach De
was the presence of these Young Sa- in their chosen fields. ing sure Brendan Dawson’s charges Souza, Ablant knows his background,
It is in these predominantly rural bles and their contribution to the re- Also the opportunity to go to played in the right areas of the pitch. and how to make the most of oppor-
settings that South Africa’s World sult last Sunday. Prince Edward, in the peak era of the At Prince Edward where he became tunities presented to him.
Cup-winning captain, and the first school, shining in rugby and break- headboy in his final year, Musingwini
player in the history of the Spring- Winning becomes a culture, a hab- ing sprinting records on the running was not among the best players in his From Mbare Academy where he
boks to score a try in a World Cup it. Flying these boys over to South Af- track, going on to play Test rugby for earlier years but he just got better and started under development coach
final, were thrown a rugby ball for the rica for the remainder of the Currie his country and captaining it on a better, and now he has led his coun- Victor Pekani, a humble and unsung
first time and taught the game. Cup, following their superb perfor- few occasions, and then now laying try in conquest of a continent. hero of rugby in this country, Hill-
mances to help Zimbabwe become down a marker as a coach. Interestingly, Musingwini’s sec- crest College came calling and offered
The Eastern Cape is a pretty Under-20 African champions in A devout Muslim guided by him a full scholarship, exceling both
unique place in South Africa. Where Kenya last month, was a masterstroke strong faith in whatever he does, on the sports fields and in the class-
other youngsters like them across by the senior team management. De Souza has now transformed a room at the Mutare private school.
the country will be playing football group of working-class boys into HawkZone
on the streets, in this province disad- The majority of these glorious champions, and personally I back In Manicaland, Ablant was fortu-
vantaged black boys in the townships Young Sables come from middle to quite a few of them to be on the nate to come under the wing of the
and rural areas play rugby with great low-income households, which am- Enockflight to France for the senior Sa- then Hillcrest deputy headmaster
zeal on dusty open spaces. plifies their hunger and drive for suc- and sports director Crispen Mhike,
cess. bles’ World Cup qualification bid who has now returned home to Ha-
It is a natural thing, rugby is their in July. Muchinjo rare to head Heritage School.
number one sport. They were born And in their Zimbabwe Under-20 Two of them, the Young Sa-
into it and it runs deep in their coach Shaun De Souza, they have the bles’ triumphant captain Taku There are so many decent people
DNA. For some of these underpriv- perfect role model a group of focused Musingwini and star winger Tav- involved in this sport and Cris, who
ileged kids in Eastern Cape, fathers, young men need to complement onga Ablant, starred in the win over ond-half replacement, Keith Chi- coached Hillcrest’s first rugby team
grandfathers, even great grandfathers, their own effort and determination. Border last weekend and displayed wara, is also a winner. The University for a number of years, accommodat-
played rugby.  mature heads on their young shoul- of Fort Hare flyhalf was a key player ed the youngster from Mbare in his
Shaun was a very good player him- ders. in the Blues side that won the Varsity house, grooming him as his own son.
This dates back nearly two cen- self, a leader of men since his playing A good international rugby team Shield in April following an unbeaten
turies ago when rugby and cricket days in the great Old Hararians and needs a core of experienced players season. Then the other good guys, Kyros
were introduced in black missionary Zimbabwe sides of the late 1990s to surrounded by a group of fearless With more players like these con- Sports, facilitated a move for Ablant
schools by the province’s moderate 2005. younger players who rise in pressure tinuing to join, getting used to losing to Maritzburg College in Pieter-
white administrators and, fittingly, moments. These two represent those will start to be treated with contempt maritzburg, South Africa, where he
on top of producing the Springboks’ The former Sables star backlin- qualities. in the Sables environment. was also an exemplary student and
first black captain in Kolisi, the East- er has an inspirational story to tell, The respect that you earn from You have to want it, like Ablant, top sportsman.
ern Cape also gave the world Makha- overcoming his own challenging up- winning a big tournament is huge the boy with the heart of a lion,
ya Ntini, South Africa’s first black bringing in Arcadia and the Avenues, and for Musingwini in particular to straight out of Mbare, where life is Now Ablant, alongside his skip-
international cricketer. both tricky neighbourhoods to raise a be trusted on his senior team run-on not also particularly easy. He played per Musingwini, will soon depart for
child, then life in an orphanage in his debut at flyhalf, the chief decision the entire game against Border last university on full scholarships in the
They call it the cradle of black rug- teen years. United States, where their meteoric
by, the Eastern Cape, and it is indeed progress will continue, hopefully to
a shining symbol of hope despite the But then De Souza has always culminate in a fairy tale similar to
game still being under-funded and stayed true to himself, never takes that of Kolisi and Mapimpi, the East-
perennially in financial woes over anything for granted, grabbing with ern Cape’s favourite sons.
there. both hands the opportunities that

The pride of the province, Border
Bulldogs – the only 100% ethnically
black team at the top end of South
African rugby – was only allowed on
the last minute to take part in this
season’s Currie Cup First Division
following uncertainty over funding.

Because they are broke, Border are
currently under the administration
of the South African Rugby Union
(Saru).

But that does not take away the
love and passion for rugby among
Eastern Cape folks.

If you want a memorable and truly
unique African atmosphere to watch
a sporting event, try the Sisa Dukashe
Stadium in East London when Bor-
der are hosting.

Not even the province’s main foot-
ball team, Chippa United, who share
the Sisa Dukashe Stadium with Bor-
der, are able to consistently draw such
good crowds.

Win or lose, as their team often
do these days – both young and old,
male and female – the Border faithful
sing and dance in the stands in abso-
lute veneration of their local heroes.

One thing for sure, in defeat or
victory, the Border players will always
exhibit their brave and entertaining
brand of rugby, and they lose like
winners.

And last week, a couple of young
men from Zimbabwe, who are also
getting accustomed to winning,
graced the Sisa Dukashe turf and left
victorious alongside their more expe-

NewsHawks Sport Page 53

Issue 81, 20 May 2022 people and change their lives. So I still and younger generations from once do that. I believed I could shoulder it for “My message in response to the fans,
believe that I’m very fortunate to have prosperous suburban households have a long period of time and it just became and generally people that aren’t nec-
From page 54 a platform to do that and through my also turned to low-priced illegal sub- too much and then my health really essarily fans but just cared, my family,
“I’m back home now, three weeks foundation, we’re going to do extreme- stance for solace. took a dive. There were serious signs everybody – their support, love and
of really enjoying time with my fam- ly big things to make our community there regarding my health, so my plea strength – have played a massive part in
ily, spending time and giving back to better and hopefully spread the message Again, with Taylor, things are dis- would be not to leave it too late and talk my recovery,” he said.
them,” remarked Taylor. to others to kickstart some kind of their tinctly different. Since his return to about it. What I can assure people out
“I missed a lot of the time when I was own foundation, or just getting out Zimbabwe in 2017 from English coun- there that are suffering is there is help. “It has been very humbling to have
either touring or I was in a depressive there into the communities and reach ty team Nottinghamshire, Taylor was There are many people that have gone that. I’m eternally grateful to have that
state and under the influence. It was a out to people that are suffering and have on a monthly salary of over US$20 000, through the toughest times of their and I just want to thank everyone from
very dark period so, you know, I’m just less than we do. So, to me, a little bit of the African team’s highest-paid player, lives, pulled themselves from the bot- the bottom of my heart for taking their
taking that in and being grateful for effort will go a long way. I’ve big ambi- therefore able to afford more expensive tom of the barrel to bounce back and time when they have their own busy
what I still have, and that is health and tions to make a big impact.” substance. come back even stronger than they were schedule and lives to worry about.
family and some good people around before. So it’s not all lost. It’s a process to To reach out and offer their support,
me. I have big ambitions and big goals The NewsHawks has over the months But, according to the record-break- fight, and to have the love and support through definitely the darkest period of
after coming out of the treatment cen- extensively covered stories of substance ing ex-Zimbabwe batter, addiction is outside. The stigma attached is not there my life, where I didn’t know where I was
tre. I’m forming a foundation, Brendan abuse in society, particularly the con- addiction, an illness, posing the same once you start talking. There is nothing going, was massive. I was only sinking
Taylor Foundation, which will put the sumption of illicit drugs and illegal- dangers. All Taylor needed to do in the to be ashamed of because it is a disease into a deeper hole. That certainly up-
compassion into action. So I’m going ly-produced alcohol among unem- end was to confront his fears and de- at the end of the day and people fall vic- lifted me, and it certainly solidified the
to be doing a lot of physical events to ployed youths in disadvantaged black mons, whilst involving others, to mend tim to that. That is the harsh and sad mindset to continue getting that hope,
raise money and change the lives of less townships. It is different though, in the his ways. reality about it, it takes no prisoners and to continue growing each day and for
fortunate people than myself. I have big case of Taylor. if you don’t see and surrender for help, it that I will never forget, and I am truly
ambitions to be a motivational speaker “What I’ve learnt in my journey so only gets worse. It’s a very serious prob- thankful to everyone. I have put that in
and to help and give back to commu- He hails from a well-to-do family far and certainly the last three years of lem that we have in our community and one of my (previous) statements, but
nities, to make young children and background, even by the average stan- my life was that it is totally manageable, around the country. So I have big ambi- this is just to reiterate the amount of
fully-grown adults aware of where their dards of the country’s privileged white and it’s a very dark environment to be in tions to set things up and help others.” gratitude that I have towards the wider
addictions can lead them to. Alcohol- community. if you shoulder this on yourself,” com- public, my family, friends and the peo-
ism is a dark place and unfortunately mented Taylor. Taylor has also acknowledged soli- ple that have been so kind, a lot of them
it is rife in our communities. The more Substance abuse, however, has not darity from around Zimbabwe and the people I’ve never met before but who
people can share the message of experi- spared the leafier neighbourhoods of “It is too powerful to carry everything rest of the cricketing world following supported me every step of the way.
ence, strength and hope – it can only be Zimbabwe’s capital city.  Because fam- on your shoulders, whether you’re going his ICC ban, saying it has helped him I thank them from the bottom of my
a positive one and hopefully our young ily earnings have been eroded over the through alcohol or drug addiction or through his healing process. heart.”
generation don’t go down the same path years and savings eaten up by the coun- you are in depression. My only plea is
as I did. I mean, granted it happened in try’s economic meltdown, some older that there is help out there and I will en-
the later stages of my life, but addiction courage people to talk, because I didn’t
doesn’t wait for anyone. It can happen
at a young age, middle age, old age, it Planning a Meeting or
doesn’t matter. It tears lives apart, it tears Training Session?
families apart.
I’m fortunate I still have that in place. Ÿ Choose The NewsHawks Executive Conference Room
But I was on a very fine line before
things got very ugly and it can dam- WORKSHOPS I PRODUCT LAUNCHES I MEDIA/FINANCIAL BRIEFINGS I EVENTS
age your health and your family and
it’s potentially fatal. So I’m so glad that The NewsHawks For Bookings please contact
I now…I felt that I’ve overcome it. It’s #100 Nelson Mandela Ave Charmaine on 0735 666 122
still a journey, it’s still a process. I try to Beverly Court
win each day at a time. I take nothing 6th Floor Email- [email protected]
for granted. I embrace the challenge. I Land line- (0242) 721 144/5
have a very open and willing mind to
get out there and better myself each day. Harare For more Information visit
That’s the simple mindset that I have.”
Taylor abruptly announced his im- The NewsHawks @NewsHawksLive www.newshawks.com [email protected]
mediate retirement from cricket last
September on Zimbabwe’s tour of Eu-
rope, weighed down by his addiction
problems and the ICC probe against
him, hitherto unknown outside inner
circles. For a player who retired just
62 runs short of being the third Zim-
babwean to score 10 000 runs in inter-
national cricket after the famous Flower
brothers Andy and Grant, Taylor’s place
in the history of the game in his home-
land was well and truly secure. Bowing
out on such a note in the end, therefore,
was a cause of great distress for the for-
mer wicketkeeper.
He, however, believes he can still
salvage something from the wreckage
of misfortune and recover from his fall
from grace.
“I guess every player, or every person,
would want to leave a legacy and that
was certainly my intention,” said Taylor.
“Unfortunately with my life spiral-
ling out of control with the blackmail
and the Indian saga, you know, that is
when my life took a turn for the worse
and I didn’t know how to combat that. I
didn’t talk to anyone about it. I didn’t…I
tried to shoulder it myself and it just be-
came too much to bear. So, you know,
that’s one part of my chapter done in
terms of my cricketing journey. I still
have ambitions to give back to cricket.
I’m still in the process of erecting two
cricket nets at my house to coach young
children, so I’m still very passionate
about cricket. It’s something that gave
so much to me. I would want to give
back to cricket and certainly make that
part of my life. I want to branch out and
do as many positive motivational things
to benefit others. So, I believe, my leg-
acy will be a bigger one than when I
was playing cricket because I see that as
a powerful tool to help people that are
suffering depression or going through
addiction or have illnesses – cancers,
you know, there are many things I’m
looking to target to give back to other

Sports Banned ex-Zim
stalwart bares
Thursday 1 October 2020 battle with
substance
abuse, rehab

Building
dreams,
building
champions

Friday 20 May 2022 @NewsHawksLive TheNewsHawks www.thenewshawks.com

WHAT’S INSIDE NEWS CULTURE
Taylor: ‘My life was now$60Covid
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tourists under review

spiralling out of control’StoryonPage 3 Story on Page 8

Chamisa reac
out to Khupe
…Banned ex-Zim stalwart
bares battle with substance Unofficial president calls for emerge
abuse and rehabilitation

ENOCK MUCHINJO

LITTLE voices in Brendan Taylor’s head whispered to him some four years ago
that he had turned into an alcoholic, prone to the occasional abuse of drugs, and
in need of professional help to overcome his addictions.
But the former Zimbabwe cricket captain ignored the nudges and the mur-
murs. He was in his early 30s, in the prime of his life and cricket career, so he
thought he was normal, that his problems would in time take care of themselves.
After all, his performances on the field were not exactly a reflection of his off-
field troubles. He was still playing well, though no longer at his majestic best by
his standards of a few seasons back.
Nonetheless, he was Zimbabwe’s best player by a long shot, the African team’s
only world-class cricketer for the better part of a decade, a genuine Zimbabwean
sporting hero revered by multitudes of fellow countrymen from different social
and racial backgrounds.
But Taylor’s problems did not go away. He only got into a deeper and darker
abyss as his woes cut short his career, and almost destroyed his life, and legacy.  
Matters came to a head in October 2019 on an all-expenses-paid private trip
to India where Taylor’s rich guests reportedly offered him cocaine while secretly
filming as he inhaled the stimulant drug, then later used the footage to black-
mail him into match-fixing, with an advance payment of US$15 000, which
the former Zimbabwe talismanic batsman said he accepted out of fear.
When the matter came to light and was put under investigation by the In-
ternational Cricket Council (ICC), the game’s global governing body reached
the verdict in January to ban Taylor for three-and-a-half years for breaching an-
ti-corruption and anti-doping rules, despite not being found guilty of actually
throwing any matches.
This week, Taylor spoke openly in an exclusive interview with The News-
Hawks about his fight with addiction, his road to recovery as well as three
months spent in rehabilitation in Nyanga, a scenic resort in Zimbabwe’s Eastern
Highlands region.
“I had an extremely valuable life-changing experience for three months in
the treatment facility in Nyanga,” Taylor told this publication in an in-depth
interview.
“It was time to just press the reset button, to get my health back on track, get
my mind back on track and iron out all the negative…the poisonous stuff I put
in my body and, you know, really just try to alter the mind and fwinads 1a2s0trdoanygsALSO
faith in a higher power to combat all these terrible addictions. So it INSIDE Finance Ministy wipes out $3.2 Billion depositors funds Zim's latest land c

of being sober. I’m feeling extremely healthy and in a great mind frame. I feel
extremely motivated and ready to tackle life head-on and in a constructive way.”
The 36-year-old ex-star from Harare plans to spend more time at home on
his recovery path as well as venture into charity work, to eventually return to
full-time cricket in some capacity once his ban lapses.
...To page 53

ALSO INSIDE Building dreams, building champions