Magwaza lands a top post in Zim Volleyball

Police officers continue to permeate local sporting disciplines not only as players but also as sports administrators. One of such officers is Nothando Magwaza who was recently appointed Head Corporate Affairs for the Zimbabwe Volleyball League (ZVA).

Magwaza, says her appointment to the post was a great honour to her at the same time reckoning that it was something challenging given that she was being appointed to a demanding post of being the custodian of the ZVA Brand.

Her appointment is derived from her passion for the sport which led her to do research on sports sponsorship.

“Whilst studying Public Relations, I always wanted to come back home even when doing assignments. I always linked all of them to my police work and when we were told to choose a topic to research on, I being passionate about volleyball, chose to research on sponsorship. My topic was ‘Determinants of Sport Sponsorship among Zimbabwe Businesses: A case study of Zimbabwe Volleyball Association.” said Magwaza in an interview.

This was inspired by the fact that the sport she loved was lacking sponsorship.

“When I interviewed Mr Ringisai Mapondera who is the President of the ZVA, he got excited by my research as it dwelled on the element of Public Relations which the Association did not have”, she said.

That is when she finally got the post together with three other police officers –Donald Chademana, Elvis Manhanga and Talent Mubako - who also make up part of the Public Relations Team at the Association.

The Commissioner-General of Police, Tandabantu Godwin Matanga, has given his nod for the police officers to work in that capacity.

She is hardly a year in office but her results on the ground begin to show. Zimbabwe Volleyball has become one of the most visible sports in Zimbabwe owing to its extensive coverage over the past few months.

“My highest achievement with my team is establishing media relations with various media houses in Zimbabwe. The media presence of the association had been very minimal before the establishment of the office and I am happy that every volleyball game is being covered by local radio stations, newspapers and local television.”

Besides, they are running social media pages to disseminate information on the Association’s activities.

In terms of sponsorship, she said she was happy that at the end of last year, many companies were beginning to show interest in the sport and they were working towards sustaining the relations. 

“Volleyball is a growing sport in Zimbabwe and as such, it needs a lot of support because, in other countries, volleyball is recognized just like soccer while back home it is treated as a minority sport, unlike other traditional sport. We have so much potential in Zimbabwe and we have had clubs that have reached world qualifiers before and other clubs have done well in the African Club Championships. We are proud as ZVA how our clubs are doing we had 5 teams participating in the Zone IV Championships and two ladies teams,” said Magwaza.

She also spoke on how she has managed to juggle her police duties and the national appointment of handling volleyball issues countrywide.

“If you are passionate about something things can be easier, Some people fail because of a lack of passion. Though at first it was a bit difficult, I have found it much easier because when I talk about Volleyball, I know what is involved in the playing field and now as an administrator, I can handle issues on an informed point of view and can represent their interests.

“We were taught that a Public Relations Officer should be good at multi-tasking and as such I am managing to balance my police duties, my ZVA appointment, and the pressures of being a mother. I no longer have weekends or a day off. I am occupied always but I am doing a national duty,” she said.

Magwaza - a mother of two boys Jayden and Prince and a devout Christian joined ZRP as a civilian worker in 2006 and got integrated in 2012 where she has been stationed at Clothing Factory since then. She attended Warren Park 5 Primary in Harare before going to St David’s Bonda in Rusape for her Form one and two before completing her secondary education a Roosevelt High in Harare.

Her parting note was simple.

“I encourage someone out there not to shelve their dreams but always push yourself to accomplish what you have always wanted to achieve there is no limit. Above all trust in God to take you to where you want to be.”