Victoria Falls hosts Transfrontier golf champs

Sport
OVER 50 participants from hosts Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa converged at Elephant Hills Golf Club in Victoria Falls on Saturday for the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area Golf Classic tournament.

OVER 50 participants from hosts Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa converged at Elephant Hills Golf Club in Victoria Falls on Saturday for the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area Golf Classic tournament. SPORTS REPORTER

The environmentally-friendly golf event which seeks to raise awareness and resources while celebrating the world’s largest transfrontier conservation area proved to be a success with participants from the region gracing the event.

The better-ball stableford team of Brighton Nekatambe and Clarence Tengende came out tops after amassing 52 points.

Diamond Jackson and Munyaradzi Huni finished second on 50 points while Clever Denga and Pascal Muguti came third on 41 points.

Victoria Falls mayor Sifiso Mpofu, praised the organisers for coming up with the environmentally-friendly tournament in which proceeds are channelled towards the Zimbabwe component of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area.

“I would like to extend my gratitude to the corporate world, government departments, civic society and all those who have endorsed the Kavango Zambezi TFCA Golf Classic tournament as a noble and reliable platform to raise awareness, financial and material resources in support of management and sustainable utilisation of natural resources,” Mpofu said during the prize-giving ceremony.

“The Kavango Zambezi TFCA Golf Classic is a giant step in raising awareness, marketing and acquiring resources for the world’s largest conservation area and it is pleasing to note that the world of golf has been identified as a sharp tool to fundraise, educate participants and offer a golden marketing opportunity for the corporate world and individuals.

Mpofu said he was hopeful the golf tournament would continue to grow.

“Our region is blessed with a wide variety of unique plants, birds and animals making it the most scenic and naturally-diverse landscape in the world. Thus the Kavango Zambezi TFCA Golf Classic should grow to become the largest most environmentally and socially responsible golf event on the continent reducing resources consumption, raising awareness and showcasing innovation.

“A closer look would reveal that golf is one of the most environmentally-friendly sports because a golf course preserves open space and remnant vegetation in urban environments; golf courses protect top soil from degradation; golf courses promote indigenous flora and fauna; they improve air quality and moderate temperature and golf promotes physical and mental well-being.

“The Kavango Zambezi TFCA Golf Classic will also arouse interest among the golfing community in the region and will certainly assist in promoting golf infrastructural development while positively contributing to golf tourism in Zimbabwe, as most of the participants will be drawn from various parts of the country and the region,” Mpofu added.