Whether it's man made or coincidental, the certainty is that the dust raised by the Momo for Peace and Unity Super Sports Competition (MOPUSC) is still going to take a very long time to finally settle. Recurrently, no week seems to pass by without an event taking place in Mbengwi still related to the competition.
At a time when the general perception was that everything went well in terms of organisation, underneath there were dissenting voices. Officials that handled the matches ended the tournament with grievances and their main bone of contention was money.
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| Match/Health Officials at Meeting |
Some felt further provoked that instead of their bonuses being paid, the committee rather went ahead to be throwing party after party; from a gala match with All Stars Veteran to a Champions Dinner, one of the biggest red carpet event ever in the subdivision that took place at Abi Fall Resort on Sunday 4th October.
An online platform known as Mbengwi Info Newsline picked up the issue and reported that Momo for Peace and Unity Super Sports Competition Ends in Tears for Match Officials. In the report, the portal stated that "The Minister truly means well for her people and is highly commended for this peace initiative. However, the Organising Committee keeps giving her a bad name"
On Thursday 8th October, the match officials were invited for a meeting at Abi Fall Resort alongside some health officials. Chaired by the Vice Chairperson of the MOPUSC 2026 Organising Committee, Seta Withgodep Wiertz, he started by explaining that the meeting had long been planned even before the quarter chit chats and online sabotage.
He took time to make clarifications on what hindered the the prompt payment of the official's dues. In reality, their money was available long before the finals but some procedural shortcomings hindered disbursements. The technical committee is headed by the Sub Divisional Delegate of Sports and Physical Education who himself was placed on a hot seat by the very officials that fall under his competence.
Some had bypassed his office directly to the Divisional Officer of Mbengwi to complain to him that the delegate has "eaten" their mone, unfounded allegations. The delegate on his part had a justification document to submit to the D.O before recieving the funds and unfortunately immediately after the tournament, he was bereaved and had to pay attention to family issues as such.
Apart from the match officials, members of the Health Committee were also aggrieved and were also invited for the said meeting during which they also got clear cut information on what transpired in their sector, protocol differences and as said, when two elephants fight, it's the grass the suffers. The vice chair apologized to the worrying parties that the delays in payment were not intentional. He appreciated them for their marvelous contribution to the success of the tournament.
He went on to note that the committee does not work under pressure to please individual's worries but focuses more on collective ones. In his words, "Being a tournament under the patronage of a minister who controls the usage of state money, we had to must be very meticulous in every disbursements we made. Appropriate justifications too had to be made before funds were disbursed for us to manage"
The meeting ended on a positive note as the sum of 360.000F was handed to the delegate to share to the officials. A commitment was taken that measures will be put in place during subsequent editions of the competition to ensure such lapses don't reoccur and that special attention will be paid on the health committee and technical team right from the beginning.
However, those noted for sabotaging the image of the tournament that seeks to consolidate peace and unity amongst all may also not likely not have any part to play again hereafter. All left from the meeting after a common meal smiling from ear to ear. In all, money stops nonsense.
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