Victoria Falls kicks off Mayor’s Cheer Fund with community-focused sports extravaganza
By Victor Sibanda
The “Wetland City” of Victoria Falls has launched its preparations for the much-anticipated 2025 Mayor’s Cheer Fund, setting an ambitious target of US$20,000 to support the city’s most vulnerable residents.
The charitable campaign began with a dynamic, inaugural soccer tournament, signaling a push for robust community involvement, corporate partnership, and environmental stewardship in the resort town.
The weekend’s events, anchored at Chinotimba Stadium, have fused competitive sport with a crucial charitable cause. The action-packed line-up featured a social soccer tournament on Saturday, November 29, showcasing teams drawn from local corporate and community groups. Local companies such as Hwange Colliery Company Limited, Shearwater, Victoria Falls City Council, and Wild Horizons participated in soccer matches to raise funds for the Mayor’s Cheer Fund. The much-anticipated clash between Highlanders and Megawatts did not take place, reportedly due to Bosso not being cleared by the Premier Soccer League.
The Mayor’s Cheer Fund is an annual tradition, but this year’s launch has been notably energetic, highlighting the city’s commitment to its less privileged population. The City’s Mayor, Councilor Thuso Moyo, emphasized the broader impact of the initiative in a recent statement: “The Mayor’s Cheer Fund is an annual charitable initiative aimed at mobilising communities, corporate partners and civic society to raise funds for the less privileged while promoting environmental stewardship in the City.”
The US$20,000 goal reflects the need to provide sustained support beyond the festive season. The funds collected will be channeled toward assisting vulnerable members of the community throughout the year, ensuring that the spirit of giving lasts well beyond the holidays.
The series of fundraising and awareness activities will culminate in the official launch of the fund on December 5, 2025. This date also marks the staging of a major environmental event: the walkathon themed “Walk Green, Walk Clean.” Over 200 participants are expected to join the walkathon, which is scheduled to commence at 05:00hrs. The walkers will converge on the city from three strategic points along the highway: the 50km peg (between Lubangwe and Matetsi), the 20km peg (at Victoria Falls International Airport), and the 10km peg (near the grid).
The walkathon serves a dual purpose, as Mayor Moyo noted in the official statement, aiming to “raise awareness against highway littering and promote environmental sustainability”—a critical issue for a tourist city that relies on the natural beauty of the surrounding region, including the iconic Zambezi River and the Victoria Falls itself.
By combining the unifying power of sport with active environmental engagement, Victoria Falls is setting a precedent for a community-driven charitable season, proving that philanthropy and civic duty are winning goals for the city.
