Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals team emerged champions of the inaugural Horizon Shooting Club (HSC) corporate shooting competition, which took place at the Polytronic Pistol and Rifle Range in Harare last Friday.
A total of six teams took part in the competition which aims to help reorient and sharpen the shooting skills of internal security departments of companies in the country while popularising the sport.
Posb settled for second place while National Building Society (NBS) finished in third place.
Other teams which took part in the competition include Zesa, Real Star Security and City Parking.
HSC president Sheldyn Dombo was delighted with the success of the inaugural tournament.
“We are delighted with the success of the event considering that it was a first time event and the turnout was more than we actually expected. The competition went smoothly in the spirit of oneness and fair play and this is going to be an annual event. We wanted to introduce shooting as a sport and I think corporates have security systems which make it easy for us to target people who hang around firearms such as internal security personnel and related shooting clubs.
"We can start with these and then spread our influence going forward,” she said.
Horizon Shooting Club was established in June 2024 and it is a subsidiary of Horizon Firearms, a company which is licensed to sell firearms and ammunition as well as all the accessories involved.
The club has 53 members and the membership continues to grow in leaps and bounds.
NBS head of security and investigations Micheal Smoko was delighted to be part of the inaugural HSC corporate shooting challenge where he guided his team to third place.
“We are very happy about this initiative by Horizon Shooting Club and we encourage them to keep the fire burning going into the future. This is a very important event for security organisations because they need to sharpen their skills when it comes to marksmanship," Smoko said.
“Nowadays there is a sharp rise in armed robberies and theft which entails that security establishments need to sharpen their skills in terms of their manpower. I have been a police officer in the past and if you look at it I may have last held or used a firearm 10 years ago but in truth we need to always improve our skills.
“This is also good for all those who participated especially for their personal CVs and also as security companies when they are applying for tenders. They can use this kind of competition for reference and assessment.”
Horizon Firearms director Pamela Kafesu said the event is going to be the highlight on the National Rifles Association of Zimbabwe shooting calendar.
“Horizon Shooting Club is proud to host the prestigious inaugural annual event which is undoubtedly going to be a major highlight on the National Rifles Association of Zimbabwe shooting calendar. Previously shooting was a minority sport and as Horizon Shooting Club we want to break that mentality," Kafesu said.
“The shooting competition stands out as deliberate steps taken to nurture skills at arms enhance discipline so that security officers and members effectively play their roles in ensuring that organisations continue to enjoy safety, peace and tranquility from armed robbers and any security threat.”
Nigel Chakanira, the ambassador for Horizon Shooting Club, graced the occasion.
The event was held under the theme : Shooting as a Sport, Unlocking Stereotypes.