The Sunday News
By Lovemore Dube, Sports Correspondent
Mandaza died in Mazowe on Monday after years of declining health.
A colossal figure in the sport who once held records in the 100, 200, 400m and relays including long jump, Mandaza had been ill for some time. His ailment took him out of the public glare, and in recent years disaster would strike with him losing his wife in 2015.
Durai, Mandaza’s son confirmed that his father had died in the early hours of Monday morning.
Funeral arrangements are yet to be announced as information is still reaching family.
The former sprinter became the first black athlete to win the coveted Sportsperson of the Year Award in 1970, after the country was in unison that he deserved the gong ahead of a strong multi-racial field of sports persons from across the racial divide.
Mandaza, a charismatic athlete whose sin was probably being born to this country and reaching his peak, at a time when Rhodesia was banned from international sport missed out on the 1972, 1976 Olympics and when Zimbabwe gained Independence he was past his prime.
A man of many milestones, Mandaza became the first man in the world to run a sub 10 seconds 100m in Welkom, South Africa in 1970. A plethora of issues were raised about his time, but many believe it was because of the colour of his skin that his 9, 90 seconds did not pass for a world record.
With improvement in technology, training facilities and diet, most of his records have been broken but one has stood the test of time, his 20, 8 seconds in the 200m set at the Chamber of Mines Championships in 1977. It is one of two that great mines athletes have failed to obliterate with the other being Adon Treva’s Chamber record of 46,2 seconds set in 1970.
Such was his quality that great track athletes inscribed in Zimbabwe’s athletics folklore Tawanda Chiwira, Nelton Ndebele, Themba Ncube, Elijah Nkala, Jeffrey Wilson, Godwin Tauya, Arnold Payne, Lewis Banda, Brian Dzingai, mines legend and triple record holder Gabriel Chikomo, Patson Muderedzi and Charles Gwanzura failed to beat his 29,8 seconds.
He represented Mangula at several Chamber Games and the country at international events and was dutifully part of the 1980 Moscow Games at independent Zimbabwe’s pioneering participation at that level.
Mandaza died a poor man, his rural home a far cry from the revered athlete he is, once again raising the issue of the plight of living sport heroes, forgotten by their former employees, fans who packed stadia to watch, a media that sold through captivating headlines and a country they risked limb for.
The national record holder in high jump, Juma Phiri described Mandaza as a sporting giant.
“For a man who ran a sub 10 seconds 100m, the first for that matter on the planet, Mandaza was a living athletics legend and giant. We have lost a Big Man, athletics is poorer without him. He inspired thousands of sprinters in this country for many decades,” said Phiri.
Phiri said it was sad to note that Mandaza had died at a time when local athletics appears to be at an all-time low.
Chikomo who holds the 100m and the two relays’ records 4×100 and 4x400m said: “We have lost a father, a true legend. I remember when I broke his 100m record, he came to me and said, Chikomo warova record yangu, Makorokoto mupfana (Chikomo, you have broken my record, congratulations young man). He was such a gentlemen, a very humble down to earth former athlete, ndaradziwa hangu (I am pained).”
