The Sunday News
Simba Jemwa, Sunday Life Correspondent
HAVING two young star athletes from the same family is everyone’s dream come true! One has won everything on offer as a sprinter, the other has just made the school’s hockey national team.
And their uncle a Minister of the gospel couldn’t be happier. As one of gospel music’s most talented artistes of the modern day, there is perhaps nobody better than Sindiso Nkomo to give them sound advice when it comes to life’s choices — not many young stars have the luxury of having precisely this sort of perspective from a family member.
Realm Minister
As five-star athletes in the making and still unsullied by life’s curveballs, it is clear that there is a bright future ahead of 15-year-old Sean Panashe and his 12-year-old sibling, Asher Munashe who both seem to be following in their uncle’s footsteps to stardom.
Popularly known as “Realm Minister”, Nkomo is a recording gospel artiste who worked with renowned producer, Oskid before he moved to Australia. And now he is a proud uncle of two gifted nephews who are running roughshod over any and all sporting competition. Speaking about his nephews, the gospel star was open about the discussions that he has had with them.
“The commitment and hard work one put into their craft just don’t go away,” Nkomo told Sunday Life recently from his base in Australia.
“That’s why I’m glad for their sakes that they seem destined to excel and continue to make the family proud. I did have conversations with them over the past few months, because they always update me on their success.”
Nkomo has of course left his nephews with some big shoes to fill. After all, he has shared the stage with prominent gospel musicians such as Takesure Zamar Ncube and Mahendere Brothers. The boys’ story begins when Sean was at Montessori Primary School in Bulawayo before they moved to Kwekwe in 2012. One thing the Realm Minister vividly remembers about those days is that after Sean’s father bought him a soccer ball, it was a major challenge to separate him from it.
Takesure Zamar Ncube
“He would play with everyone in turns but he wouldn’t get tired till we had to find ways to minimise it since he had to also focus on school.”
When Sindiso Nkomo moved to Kwekwe with his sister, Nonzima and her late husband, Tasara Keta little did he know that in a few years, the family would have its own bolt, a stickman and a Minister of the gospel!
So, who are the Keta boys? 15-year-old Sean, the stickman has just made the Zimbabwe Under-16 hockey national team while his kid brother, Asher is an ace sprinter aptly nicknamed “Bolt”!
Ranked the number 1 sprinter in the province, Asher has won it all: from provincial to regional competitions.
One of his teachers who spoke to Sunday Life said: “Asher does not only have all the physical tools desired for a sprinter, but also displays exceptional intuition and awareness, showing the ability to command and navigate the game at a very high level.”
Just last month at the AA Mines Track and Field Championships in Zvishavane, Asher who is called the “Bolt of Camelot” at his school, Camelot Primary School, won gold in the boy’s Under-14 100m and 200m before settling for silver in the 400m — this after winning the Midlands Christian College marathons earlier in the year.
gold medal
Not to be outdone, Asher’s older brother, Sean is now the stickman of the family after making it into the national Under-16 hockey national team.
The boys’ athletic prowess came to light after the family moved to Kwekwe and they were enrolled at Goldridge Primary School (Sean) and Goldridge Pre-School (Asher). It was here that they realised that apart from football and athletes, they could also compete in hockey, rugby and tennis. — @RealSimbaJemwa
