A HEATED dispute has erupted between the Kariba community, represented by Eves Wellness, and the Harare Athletic Club (HAC) over the hosting rights of the Kariba Half Marathon.
The controversy centres around the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (NAAZ) Mashonaland West allegedly awarding the event date to HAC despite Eves Wellness Event Management having submitted their 2025 marathon calendar to NAAZ in 2024.
According to documents, Eves Wellness submitted their dates to NAAZ on August 20, 2024, and an actual calendar on December 24, 2024, with the Lake Harvest Kariba Challenge scheduled for August 10.
HAC then submitted their calendar in early 2025 with August 9 (today) as their date for a Kariba Half Marathon, but later applied for race clearance in May for the same date as Lake Harvest, August 10.
Despite this, NAAZ reportedly approved August 10 (tomorrow) as the event date for HAC, sparking outrage from the Kariba community and Lake Harvest Kariba Challenge event manager, Evonne Mudzingwa.
Mudzingwa expressed her discontent, citing unfair and biased handling of the matter by NAAZ.
“How can NAAZ’s Mash West chairperson, Mr Nhoro, claim ignorance of our event and subsequent clearance applications when the event was on the official NAAZ calendar and our applications had been submitted through the Harare office?” she questioned.
Mudzingwa highlighted the absurdity of the criteria used to award HAC clearance, pointing out that if it’s a first-apply, first-served system, then why do people submit event dates for the following year?
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She emphasised that the real issue lies with NAAZ’s incompetence and corruption, which has led to this confusion.
In a surprising twist, Mudzingwa revealed that when she spoke to NAAZ president Tendai Tagara, he claimed to be unaware of the story until she informed him.
Lake Harvest appealed to NAAZ to intervene in a letter dated June 23, 2025, but the NAAZ Harare chair tasked with resolving the matter is yet to respond.
Mudzingwa stressed that HAC has never organised or owned any half marathon in Kariba, limiting their involvement to facilitating race pack collections in Harare and encouraging participation.
“HAC claiming ownership of the Kariba Half Marathon is baseless,” she said.
“They claim to have managed and run it for 32 years, but we provided unrefutable evidence that they have never owned nor managed the Kariba Half Marathon.”
HAC chairperson Douglas Run’anga declined to comment, saying: “I’m not authorised to respond to your questions. You should direct them to NAAZ.”
NAAZ chairperson Cousinet Simunyu responded, stating that the decision was made by the Mash West province, as Kariba falls under their jurisdiction.
“Calendars are submitted to the secretary-general, who forwards them to NAAZ for compilation,” she explained.
“The club that submitted a request for clearance earlier and had complete paperwork was booked for the date.”
The dispute raises questions about NAAZ”s integrity in handling the event sanctioning process and its potential favouritism towards HAC.
The outcome will have significant implications for the Kariba community and the future of the event.
The Lake Harvest Kariba Challenge is an annual running event in Kariba, Zimbabwe, held over the Heroes weekend in August.
It features a 21,1km half marathon, 10km fun run/walk, and a kids’ nappy dash.
Proceeds support the Kariba Animal Welfare Fund Trust and Kariba Hospital.
The scenic route includes running across the Kariba Dam Wall with stunning lake views.
The event promotes family fun and community involvement, with past activities including a kids' fishing competition.
