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Chairman of the Zimbabwe Open Golf Committee…..Livingstone Gwata

“It is with great honour and pleasure that I welcome you all to the re-launch of the Zimbabwe Open Tournament. Many of you will be aware that the Zimbabwe Open Tournament was last run in this country in the year 2001 and had remained suspended since then because of numerous challenges faced by the then administrators arising in part from the general deterioration of the economic environment.

The Zimbabwe Golf Association (ZGA), the owners, custodians and administrators of the Zimbabwe Open Golf Tournament, in consultation with the relevant stakeholders invited various business leaders and sports personalities to form a committee with a mandate to run the Zimbabwe Open Golf Tournament in an efficient and transparent manner that promotes sport, promotes business and promotes goodwill amongst all stakeholders. The Zimbabwe Open Golf Committee 2010 (ZOGC) was born just before Christmas in December 2009. Ladies and gentlemen the Zimbabwe Open Golf Committee 2010 will run the Zimbabwe Open Tournament on behalf of the Zimbabwe Golf Association (ZGA).

A tournament of this magnitude calls for total commitment and unquestionable integrity on the part of the organizers. In the case of the 2010 Zimbabwe Open Golf Tournament, the preparation time scale was comparatively very short since Zimbabwe was allocated the 18th April through to 24 April 2010 slot by the Sunshine Tour. In addition to the short preparation horizon the new committee’s task was made more difficult by the requirement that we lodge the equivalent of the minimum prize money, that is R1 million with the Sunshine Tour during the month of February 2010. This requirement by the Sunshine Tour is quite understandable given the inordinate delays experienced by players in receiving their prize money when the tournament was last held in 2001. Our creditworthiness and integrity as a nation suffered and it is our collective responsibility as Zimbabweans to re-establish ourselves as a people of undoubted standing. Allow me ladies and gentlemen to introduce to you the members of the Zimbabwe Open Golf Committee.

Ladies and Gentlemen I must have let my guard down and allowed my colleagues on the Zim Open Golf Committee to elect me Chairman of this Committee. My name is Livingstone Gwata and on a day to day basis I am Group Chief Executive at FBC Holdings, the public quoted Financial Services Group. The other members of my committee, most of whom are here tonight are as follows and I request that they raise their hand as I call out their name:-
• Albert F. Nhau (Chief Executive of Mike Appel Organisation ) Vice Chairman
• Addington B. Chinake – Lawyer and Senior Partner Kantor & Immerman
• Dr Patrick Farrell – Dental Professional and President of Royal Harare Golf Club
• Bekithemba Ndebele - Managing Director Truworths Zimbabwe Limited
• Henry Manzungu- Managing Director Alpha Asset Management and Golf Columnist (Golfzone)
• Michael Mahachi – Business person and accredited golf referee
• Cedric Jonker – Business person and experienced Golf administrator
• Tendayi Gwatiringa – A Business Executive and Golf, sportsperson
• Angus Mackenzie – Sports person and golf administrator
• Ian Matheison – General Manager Royal Harare Golf Club
• Paulo Moyo – Executive Director AFDIS and sports person
• Mafingeyi Nyamwanza – Managing Director CIMAS Medical Laboratories and former Captain of Royal Harare Golf Club
• Joe Sithole – Business person and Secretary General of Zimbabwe Golf Association (ZGA)
• Musa Yousof – Business person and regular sponsor of professional golfers

Ladies and Gentlemen I have no doubt in my mind that the qualities and commitment that I alluded to earlier are quite evident in the mix of experience and skills in this committee.

Ladies and Gentlemen ZOGC set itself a target to raise a minimum of US$250 000 to cover the minimum Sunshine Tour prize money requirement of R1 million and other expenses which the committee undertakes to account for in full. In order to achieve this target ZOGC invited sponsors to participate in different categories, namely the Title Sponsor who was required to put up an amount equivalent to R1 million, Anchor Sponsors who were required to put up a cash equivalent of US$50 000 and Key Sponsors who were required to put up a cash equivalent of US$20 000. I am aware Ladies and Gentlemen that the Marketing and Publicity Sub-Committee is currently formulating a programme to accommodate subsidiary sponsors that will fill in the gaps after our main sponsors i.e. the Title Sponsor, Anchor Sponsors and Key Sponsors have taken their space. Ladies and Gentlemen I am delighted to advise you that our sponsors have made it possible for the Zimbabwe Open Golf Committee to meet its target. Ladies and Gentlemen allow me to introduce to you our mainstream sponsors as follows:-
Title Sponsor
Our Title sponsor Ladies and gentlemen is a major player in the Communications Industry. They have been associated with golf sponsorship at both professional and amateur levels for a period close to a decade. Ladies and Gentlemen allow me to introduce the Title sponsor that has put up, amongst other resources, a cash sponsorship of US$160 000. Ladies and Gentlemen please welcome Africom represented here by the Chief Executive Kwanayi Kashangura.
Anchor Sponsors
Ladies and Gentlemen our two anchor sponsors are leaders in their respective industries, namely communications and diversified trading and manufacturing. Ladies and Gentlemen help me in welcoming sponsors that have put up cash sponsorship of US$50 000 each and these two sponsors are Econet and Innscor.
Key Sponsors
Ladies and Gentlemen our key sponsors are solid and undoubted businesses in our economy. They have put up cash sponsorship of US$20 000 each. Ladies and Gentlemen allow me to welcome the major beverage manufacturers in Zimbabwe, Delta, and the mining giant Zimplats.

Ladies and Gentlemen lastly but not least allow me to welcome one of our Key Sponsors and Official Carrier of the Sunshine Tour, South African Airways have put up air tickets to the value of US$20 000. The bulk of these tickets will be utilized to raise funds for the running of the tournament and a smaller portion will be utilized for travel purposes in need by Zimbabwe Open officials.

In conclusion ladies and gentlemen our major objective as a committee is to discharge our mandate and ensure that Zimbabwe as a country and as a destination for sport, business and tourism is considered in the most favourable light. The Africom Zimbabwe Open will certainly assist in achieving this objective as the tournament will be beamed across the country and the continent in keeping with the coverage accorded to tournaments which are co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour

Ladies and Gentlemen I thank you all for participating. I wish you all a most enjoyable Africom Zimbabwe Open Golf Tournament.

I thank you”

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