The Mwana Group has announced the cancellation of the 2025 edition of the Mwana Group Rugby Festival, formerly known as the Cottco Schools Rugby Festival, citing failure to secure a suitable and accessible venue.
In a statement dated 19 April, Festival Chairman Kuda Mutenda said the decision was made “with a heart full of bitterness” as it would deny aspiring schoolboy rugby players an opportunity to showcase and grow their talent.
“It is extremely regrettable, that we have decided to cancel the 2025 Mwana Group Rugby Festival, for reasons beyond our control,” Mutenda said. “Amongst the main reasons for cancellation, was our failure to secure a suitable and conveniently located venue for hosting the festival.”
“My heart is full of bitterness, as we have let down hundreds of potential future rugby legends, who will not have a chance to display and develop their rugby skills, for the benefit of Zimbabwe rugby’s future. My sincere apologies to all the stakeholders, especially schools, coaches, athletes and various partners who had already been preparing for this grand event, and had committed their time, resources and put in an enormous amount of effort.”
Sources close to the organizers claim discussions with Prince Edward School—the event’s long-time host—collapsed after disagreements over fees. Last year, Mwana Group reportedly undertook some infrastructural developments at the school. This year, the parties failed to reach consensus on new terms.
However, sources at Prince Edward who spoke to _Kukurigo Sport_ claim the school refused to host the event due to an alleged unresolved debt from a 2023 school rugby tour to South Africa’s Krugersdorp. The Mwana Group, then a sponsor of the touring Tigers side, is accused of failing to settle a US$3,500 sponsorship commitment. The team was reportedly blacklisted from future participation in the Easter festival tournament.
Additional claims suggest the group had promised to complete infrastructural improvements at Prince Edward School as part of last year’s festival agreement, including a perimeter durawall, which remains unfinished. Some school officials also cited outstanding payments from last year’s event.
It remains unclear how many schools had registered for this year’s festival. “For all the teams who had registered, please may you kindly send your POP and bank account details to the following email address for a full refund,” Mutenda said, adding, “We have let down hundreds of potential future rugby legends.”
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