The Sunday News
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
THE Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) has come under fire after failing to classify the country’s only blade runner, thereby threatening a promising career.
Eleven-year-old Pride Tadiwanashe Mafira, a Grade Six pupil at Chinotimba Primary School in Victoria Falls, is Zimbabwe’s first blade runner but is failing to attract international attention because he is not classified.
Pride specialises in 100 metres, long and high jump and at the recent Paralympics Games in Gwanda he took try in discus and did well. He has competed in South Africa representing Ice Xpress, a Gauteng Province club but wants to represent his country.
He has been invited for the Nedbank National Champions, but has to be classified as a T44 to be eligible. South Africa’s Osca Pistorius was classified as T44.
Born in 2005, Pride had fibular hemimelia, a congenital absence of the bone in his right calf and had his leg amputated when he was six months old.
This has not deterred him from sport. His personal trainer is his father Fredrick Mafira, the proprietor of Savino Investment.
Pride used to crawl or use crutches until in 2011 when his father met Cahill, vice-president of Thompson Custom Orthotics and Prosthetics in America, who was on safari in the resort town.
Cahill, an amputee, immediately took Pride’s case and made prosthesis for the boy before enrolling Mafira for orthotics and prosthetics training at his company, to be able to evaluate, fabricate and care for his son’s prosthesis.
He has donated some equipment which Mafira also donated to local amputees. Pride wants to be timed so he can participate competitively.
“I feel bad because I had gone to Gwanda to get a medal but i wasn’t given an opportunity to participate,” said the boy who gets his inspiration from South Africa’s amputee Arnu Fourie.
Pride’s father Mafira said the SRC had not been helpful. “I consulted sports directors at schools and they gave me calendar of events and training modules. I also show him videos of other Paralympics competitions,” said Mafira.
He added: “I have been trying to engage the SRC but they haven’t been supportive. I even phoned SRC director Charles Nhemachena and I was heartbroken when he told me he was too busy to attend to such matters.”
Mafira said the experience in Gwanda almost killed his son’s love for sport.
“In Gwanda he only took part in a Fun Run with 26-year-olds from Mutare who also couldn’t participate because they are not classified. We wonder why people who should be Paralympians are sidelined. Maybe our organisers are not looking at being competitive. They told us there is no T44 classification in Zimbabwe and one wonders why they couldn’t initiate the competition now that there is a case. All they need to do is consult and use international standards because Pride has to go to South Africa but he should be classified at home first,” said Mafira.
He said he is in dilemma as his son is not getting support locally.
His father is now engaging the Classification Board in South Africa so that he can be classified for next year’s event and is also working with Jumping Kids, a programme funded by Vodacom for Under-14 amputees in South Africa.
The organisers of the upcoming Bloemfontein event have indicated they would have an Under-13 age group that Pride would compete in but has to be classified.
Mafira however, appreciates the intervention of SRC Matabeleland North Co-ordinator Newman Masuku who took up the matter although he got no support from his counterparts.
Masuku said the boy’s case was being considered.
“He is a peculiar case and all we need to do is link up with other provinces to see if they have such people. If he needs to participate internationally we can help but he needs then to train harder,” he said.
Masuku bemoaned lack of disability facilities in Matabeleland North Province which he blamed for limited number of participants.
Pride, the last born and only son in a family of three children, sees himself competing at world events in the next 10 years. In August there will be the Danhiko Games and Mafira hopes things would have changed because: “we don’t have to beg to participate and hope something would have been done.”
He also feels grounds should be adaptable for blade runners who can’t run on rough surfaces.
Mafira paid gratitude to Victoria Falls Primary School, Love for Africa, Chinotimba Primary School, Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, Rotary Club of Victoria Falls, Victoria Falls community and Thebe Safaris Botswana for support.
