FBC Zim Open returns bigger and better with Charity Fund

By Tendai Chisiri

It will be a week-long hive of activity at Royal Harare Golf Club from 4th May to 11th May as FBC 2025 Zim Open Golf Tournament tees off.

This time around the prestigious tournament on Sunshine Tour will have the community at heart as they would be the Zim Open Wellness Fund launch whose main  objective is  to build public awareness around key health and wellness issues.

Speaking at the  Zim Open press briefing on Monday, FBC chief executive Trynos Kufazvinei   said the sponsorship which is a contribution to the development of golf in Zimbabwe and Southern African region at large bears testimony to to the FBC Group’s commitment to sports development and social impact.

“FBC Holdings is a responsible corporate citizen which is committed to making meaningful contributions to the social, environmental and economic well-being of the communities we serve. Our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts are informed by the evolving needs of society at large, with a focus on aligning with national, regional and global development priorities  including the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”. he said.

Over the years, the FBC Holdings Group has become a dominant player in promoting the development of golf in Zimbabwe. They have sponsored key golf events over the years, besides this premium event. “Today, we are here to deliver on our promise to maintain our FBC Zim-Open Golf title sponsorship for the fourth consecutive year. This demonstrates the FBC Groups great strength in promoting the development of golf in Zimbabwe and the African continent at large”, he added.

“Today, we are pleased to announce that the FBC Group has committed a sponsorship of Two Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (USD 200,000) towards the 2025 Zimbabwe Open Golf Tournament. Allow me to emphasise that as FBC Group, we are proud to be the title sponsors of the 2025 FBC Zimbabwe Open Golf Tournament”, he revealed.

As part of the Groups broader efforts to promote local business development, the tournament serves as a platform for socio-economic empowerment and employment creation, by providing opportunities for local enterprises to exhibit and supply essential goods and services for the event.

The FBC Zim Open Golf Tournament is a world-class sporting event that attracts top golfers from around the globe, the African continent, the Southern African region and indeed our own local top talent. Beyond the competition, the tournament plays a vital role in promoting Zimbabwes socio-economic development, by driving sports tourism, which is a key global sectorOver the years, the FBC Holdings Group has become a dominant player in promoting the development of golf in Zimbabwe. We have sponsored key golf events over the years, besides this premium event. Today, we are here to deliver on our promise to maintain our FBC Zim-Open Golf title sponsorship for the fourth consecutive year. This demonstrates the FBC Groups great strength in promoting the development of golf in Zimbabwe and the African continent at large.

“As FBC Group, we are deeply grateful for this valuable partnership with the Ministry of Sports, Recreation and Culture; the Zimbabwe Open Golf Committee; as well as all corporate sponsors and stakeholders for their invaluable support of the 2025 FBC Zimbabwe Open Golf Tournament”, he stressed.

2024 FBC Zim Open was honoured with the Platinum Award for Best Corporate Event of the Year at the National Exceptional Marketing Awards, presented by the Marketers Association of Zimbabwe. This prestigious award is a true testament to the Zimbabwe Open Golf  committees hard work, dedication, and commitment, which have all contributed to the remarkable success of this flagship event.

FBC Bank, in partnership with Mastercard, recently launched a new range of premium international cards, namely World Credit, World Debit, Platinum Prepaid and Gold Rand Prepaid.

The new family of FBC Mastercard Cards has been specifically designed to cater to the needs of clients who require reliable and premium service while travelling abroad. These cards offer flexible transaction limits, allowing clients to make high-value transactions with ease. In addition, the cards come with a range of lifestyle and travel benefits, ensuring ultimate convenience for clients when travelling or making online transactions, enabling them to transact seamlessly across the globe.

Zimbabwe Open Committee chairman Livingstone Gwata in welcome and opening remarks said it was a pleasure as the Chairman of the Zimbabwe Open Golf Committee, to launch the 2025 Zimbabwe Open.

“We are indeed looking forward to a most successful 13th national tournament in this series (since relaunch in 2010). The tournament will run from Sunday 4th May 2025 through to Sunday 11th May 2025, with the championship being played from Thursday 8th May through to Sunday 11th May 2025 We are most grateful to our sponsors and their partners who have committed their premier brands to our national premier tournament. There are many partners that have made our event possible and successful”, he said.

He took the opportunity to introduce the key sponsors for the 2025 Zimbabwe Open Tournament.

“Title Sponsor– FBC Holdings Limited, We are most grateful to FBC Holdings Limited for their significant contribution and support as Title Sponsors for the 4th year in a row!, Associate Sponsor- ZHL Holdings Limited, Anchor Sponsors – Golden Pilsener,  Tongaat Huletts Zimbabwe,  Seedco- Who are participating in the event for the first time and  Firstlink Insurance Brokers.Our Official Partners- Infrastructure & Services Rooneys, Sahwira Events and Lifestyle, Communications Liquid Technologies, Energy Partner Zuva Petroleum, Hospitality African Sun Limited, Logistics Speedlink Cargo, Safety and Security Partner Guard Alert, Media Partners Alpha Media Holdings, Wellness Partners CIMAS, Printing Partners Lighthouse and Scoring Partners Nomads Zimbabwe”, he said.

He everyone to the 2025 FBC Zimbabwe Open. “We are working on enhancing the prize fund which started off at R2m and recently increased to $2.5m and now working to achieve  R3,000,000 for our tournament this year”, he revealed.

Addressing the gathering at the same event,  president of the Zimbabwe Golf Association Martin Chikwanha said there was need to celebrate the continued partnership and progress in the world of golf in Zimbabwe.

“We are gathered here today not just to mark the launch of an exciting tournament, but to celebrate the continued partnership and progress we are making in the world of golf in Zimbabwe”, he said .

“The 2025 edition will go beyond the fairways, and will see the launch of a national movement: The Zim Open Wellness Fund, whose strategic objectives are to build public awareness around key health and wellness issues; and position partner brands as collaborative leaders in health, sport, and social change”, Chikwanha revealed.

In 2025, the fund will focus on cancer awareness and treatment, and in 2026 the focus will be on mental health.

“The 2025 edition of the Zimbabwe Open promises to be bigger and better than ever before.  With a fantastic field of professional golfers from both Zimbabwe and beyond, we are confident that this year’s tournament will continue to raise the profile of Zimbabwe as a premier golfing destination and further cement the Zimbabwe Open’s position as a key event on the Sunshine Tour”, he added.

In an interview on the sidelines of the event, Zim Open head of media and publicity  Norah Spie said there is going to be Zim Open Charity Fund that is going to support wellness. This year 2025, we are focusing on cancer awareness with our Associate Sponsor ZHL Holdings Limited initiating the programme. In the coming years, we will be doing  wellness programmed like mental health, physical and mental well being for the community. We are calling it swinging with a purpose.We are initiating awareness for people around to understand the causes of cancer, how to prevent it and also fundraise for cancer treatment because it’s a major issue in our communities.

Gary Todd, the Sunshine Tour Tournament Director also graced the press conference of the 2025 FBC Zim Open launch. Sunshine Tour is the biggest tour on the African continent and  a major tour worldwide.