10 January 2022
Prosperity Sikhosana
The Mayor of Bulawayo His Worship, Mayor Solomon Mguni has promised to revive cycling as a sport in the City.
Speaking during a meeting hosted in honour of Meli Ndlovu, the Johannesburg based Zimbabwean cyclist, Cllr. Mguni said there would be awareness campaigns on cycling and Meli Ndlovu would be the Ambassador.
Ndlovu cycled all the way from Johannesburg, South Africa, on a Covid-19 awareness campaign. The tour took two days to complete.
As a coach in Tembisa South Africa, Ndlovu said that cycling is a sport that should be recognised all over Zimbabwe with the hope it raises the flag of the country to higher places.
Ndlovu has won about 20 awards in the sport, Ndlovu is in the knowhow about cycling hence the Ambassadorial role the City would confer him will be of great advantage for sport in Bulawayo.
“Going forward, we need to do more awareness campaigns which you (Meli Ndlovu) may participate,” said Cllr. Mguni.
The Mayor Cllr. Mguni further expressed that cycling needs to be taken seriously as a sport, so that there is a lot of uptake by Bulawayo people.
“We have a lot of clubs, cycling clubs that we can revive and take Bulawayo to an international level interms of sport,” explained Cllr. Mguni.
In agreement with the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor Mlandu Ncube suggested cycling campaigns such as “Tour to Bulawayo” be put in place, these will have many people taking part and possibly put Bulawayo on the map.
“We’ll think about it to revive Bulawayo and put it on the cycling map,” said the Deputy Mayor.
“We have infrastructure that promote cycling, it’s only that people think it’s for white people. For instance there is the Cycling Center in Mpopoma that we want to revive,” continued the Cllr. Ncube.
Cllr. Mlandu Ncube said the Council will work in partnership with Brotherhood Soccer Legends, the MP of Mpopoma Charles Moyo and the residents of Mpopoma to try and revive the Traffic Cycling Center in Mpopoma.
“We are reviving it through donors. It used to be a learning center for Cycling. That’s what we are trying to revive at the request of Mpopoma residents and with the help of Meli Ndlovu we hope to get donors.”
Ncube further noted that the Bellydrive in Burnside has many cyclists who frequent the club but there are no takers to do so as they sport.
“The coming in of Meli Ndlovu will attract a sense of seriousness interms of taking the renovation of these cycling areas serious,” added the Deputy Mayor.
Many institutions, not only sport related need to be revived in order to bring change to the behaviour of young people of Bulawayo.
Many have taken to substance and drug abuse because of redundancy. Many sporting facilities and clubs have been abandoned by the City Fathers either because of the economic melt down or lack of interest by the current crop of the councillors.
Fans of Meli Ndlovu will be excited to know that an opportunity to learn more about cycling and possibly race in competitions will soon be availed in Mpopoma if the plans by the City Council come to fruition.