Marketers Association of Zimbabwe hosted the Annual Charity Golf and this year the winner veteran golfer Christobel Washaya, the Senior sales executive for the Financial Gazette

Washaya, a seasoned golfer has supported the tournament since its inception and shrugged off competition to land the coveted Agrippa Mugwagwa floating Trophy.

This year’s Annual Charity Golf was held under the theme ‘Rescue a teen from drug and substance abuse’ on the 29^th of July at the ZRP Golf Club.

The Charity Golf day is organised by the MAZ Charity Foundation, an arm of Marketers Association of Zimbabwe.

The tournament Charity Golf day attracted golf players from various corporates and also individual golf players who came through to support the cause.

Various corporates who sponsored the Charity mounted their banners and gazebos at the Club.

MAZ Executive Secretary Gillian Rusike in his speech thanked all sponsors that came through to support the Charity golf tournament.

Mr Rusike also extended sincere gratitude to the MAZ corporate members Lafarge and PPC for sponsoring bags of cement that are going to be used to build the fowl – run for the teenagers.

“… allow me to appreciate Teen rescue mission for coming through with this initiative and I hope that this partnership will last longer,”

“As an Association we have decided to join the national fight against drug and substance abuse. This is a real scourge that requires a collective effort from all citizens and corporates at large,” said Mr Rusike.

He said MAZ this year partnered The Teen Rescue Mission Trust, a non- profit community based organisation which focuses on teens and youths in areas of drug and substance abuse, premature sex and teen crime both in urban and rural areas, with help of different organisations and sponsors.

“ We have hosted this event so that we raise funds for this cause  the target is to raise USD10 000 which will go towards the construction and facilitation of income generating projects on a piece land the Trust acquired in the Seke area,” said Mr. Rusike.

He said the Association believes in corporate social responsibility programs thus they have made it a mandate to keep on helping those in need.

Teen Rescue Mission Director, Mr. Abraham Matuka highlighted that his organization was grateful for the partnership with MAZ.

“We are working towards constructing structures for income generating projects at our stand in Seke and we would also want to start a chicken project which will be run by the youths thereby keeping them busy as well as giving them a source of income. It is mostly unemployment and idleness which drives them to drugs,” said Mr. Matuka.

“As an organization which is fighting against the rise of the drug abuse pandemic, we are happy to have MAZ coming on board to empower these youths through projects to be set on the organization stand.

He said the projects will go a long way in empowering the youths and community as well.

Other winners were Y Mubaiwa, S Bhechani, L Muroyiwa, T Majo, and Blessing Gandawa. N Sibanda and G Tembo.

For the ladies T Murare won the prize for the nearest to the pin along with Y Mubaiwa, for the men F Muwani won the nearest to pin together with K Nyoni.

N Makuyana won the long drive hole 06 altogether with S. Bhechani hole 18 for the men. For the ladies longest drive prize was won by Y Mubaiwa whole 04 and hole 13.

Teen rescue mission had a small presentation that they presented as the teenagers showcased their dancing skills to the marketers and golfers who came through.

MAZ has over the years  been involved in different corporate social responsibility initiatives through the MAZ Charity Golf Tournament that include the ‘donate  a shoe campaign’ which saw the Association handing over school shoes to Chokera Primary School in Masvingo  in 2018 and donated school shoes to Mathew Rusike in Epworth in 2019 as well.

In 2020, proceeds from the Charity Golf Tournament were used to buy sunscreen lotions which were donated to the Zimbabwe Albino Association.

In the same year, the MAZ Charity Foundation responded to the Covid 19 pandemic by donating food baskets and other basic commodities at the Methodist church in Epworth.  

The Charity Foundation also donated stationery to Dambudzo Primary School in the Midlands province. The school had its roof blown away by heavy rains and a lot of infrastructure and learning material was destroyed.

This year, the Charity Foundation handed over food, basic commodities and toiletries to the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) in Chinhoyi.

The donation was made possible through proceedings from the 2021 Charity Golf Tournament held under the theme ‘Prison Campaign’ as well as groceries donated by National Foods.

MAZ corporate and individual members participated in the annual tournament but it was a Charity tournament open to everyone who is interested in playing golf.