Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema-Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE “rags-to-riches” narrative is so prevalent in sports and entertainment that it often teeters on the edge of becoming a cliché.
These narratives of hardship, struggle and perseverance have become common, with numerous big-screen adaptations.
The most recent and notable one is the story of Michael Oher, a former American professional football player.
Oher, a former Baltimore Ravens’ tackle, rose from abject poverty and homelessness to become a Super Bowl winner in the National Football League in the United States.
His story was turned into the 2009 film “The Blind Side”.
In our own backyard, ultra-marathon runner Stephen Muzhingi’s life is a tale that cries out for the same kind of inspirational spotlight that shone on Oher.
Muzhingi has seen it all.
His life story includes a birth date discrepancy, his time as a barber and a pivotal meeting with former President Mugabe, who helped him pursue sports science and physiotherapy.
He is now a successful physiotherapist.
Muzhingi’s journey from running barefoot as a child to charging high fees for treatment is a rags-to-riches tale that rivals the story of Oher.
At the age of 44, the former three-time Comrades Marathon and two-time Two Oceans winner is remarkably frank about his life story.
Muzhingi’s experience at Morris Depot, where he was recognised for his barbering skills, is just one aspect of his rich life, a life that, at one point, led others to question his sanity since he was consistently barefoot.
During a considerable portion of Muzhingi’s career, his official records indicated a birthdate of October 17, 1975.
However, he was five years younger, having been born on October 17, 1980.
Muzhingi, who won the Comrades Marathon three consecutive times from 2011 to 2013, traced the discrepancy back to 1993, when he and his late mother, Siyai, went to the Registrar-General’s office to get his birth certificate.
“I was born in 1980 but the thing is that when my father died in 1988, I did not have a birth certificate.
“My mother then left me, also without that certificate, and I went on to write Grade Seven exams without it.
“When I finished, it became rather difficult to find a Form One place without a birth certificate. I decided to look for my mother for help,” recalled Muzhingi.
After finding her, they tried to obtain a birth certificate at various registrar’s offices, including Kadoma, Harare and even Chivhu, but were unsuccessful in every attempt.
“So, I was born in Gutu and we only found some progress there.
“When we found someone to help us, my mother wanted me to get a birth certificate and a national identity (ID) card at the same time. She decided to add the five years on my date of birth,” he said.
In 1993, during the Gutu incident, Muzhingi was only 13, but his mother stated he was 18 by adding five years to his age.
Muzhingi’s honest perspective is a result of embracing his upbringing, challenges and all, recognising they were integral to his becoming the man he is today.
He currently holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Science from KwaZulu Natal University and is now a qualified physiotherapist.
In his role at the Air Force of Zimbabwe, he provides treatment to a varied patient base, encompassing the general public and professional athletes, for which he charges up to US$700 per session.
He recalls how all this came about, courtesy of a chance encounter with former Zimbabwe President Mugabe back in 2011, after claiming his first of three straight Comrades Marathon wins that year.
He had just been named the ANSA Sportsperson of the Year.
“The year 2011 changed my life completely,” he said.
“If you meet the President, you tell him all your problems and your life changes completely.
“I told him (the late former President Mugabe) all my problems, from how I grew up, what I want to do and everything in between. I met him at around eight in the morning and we spent the whole day together.
“He listened to everything and asked questions from where I grew up, how I grew up and what I eat,” he said.
According to Muzhingi, during the meeting, the former President told him: “I don’t want to give you fish, but I want to teach you how to fish.”
He said the words had a strong impact on him.
“He told me to enrol and start doing sports science and learn how to treat and heal injuries.
“Now, I am an expert and can treat anyone.
“People come from all over the world, with my recent patient being a lady from England, whom I charged as much as US$700,” he revealed.
Muzhingi readily speaks about his starkly different past, a childhood defined by abject poverty and harsh struggles.
“Well, I started running when I was about five years old.
“In Sanyati, where I grew up, my mother would send me to the shops and for errands and I would mostly run to and fro.
“Even at school, which was about 11km from where we stayed, I would run for most of the distance.
“Running is a huge part of my life and I took it seriously when I was in Grade Six,” he said.
The tale of Muzhingi’s journey and victories on the track is a familiar one, its main contours often retold.
What remains unknown were some of the struggles he faced, like his time at Chikurubi shortly before making the great trek to South Africa and fulfil his destiny.
“I started training for the Comrades Marathon in 2004 after making a failed trip to Durban to compete in the race,” he said.
“At the time, I did not know much about the race and its rules. I only went to Durban a week before the race.
“I only learnt that registration is done way before the race and was forced to watch the race on television.
“Watching Vladimir Kotov win that race inspired me and that is when I realised that this is what I want to do with my life.”
It was here that the marathon bug took hold of Muzhingi, and he also encountered his future coach, Cliff Chinnasamy.
It made the hardship and struggle he faced before worth it.
“Cliff is another person I am eternally grateful to as he had a pivotal role in my career. Let me explain” he said.
“I come from a very poor background and, here in Zimbabwe, I was staying at Chikurubi Support Unit between 1999 and 2003.
“I was a barber; a top barber.
“When I was staying at Chikurubi, people used to laugh at me and thought I was mentally ill.
“This was because I was always running and did so barefoot, with a very small short and small vest.
“My intention was to train and I did so at every chance I got.
“However, some people seemed to think I was running aimlessly and doing so naked (owing to the small vest and short).
“I did not mind, though, as I knew my goal.”
His constant losses certainly did not help the situation.
Zimbabwe, at the time, did not have ultra-marathon races and he was forced to compete in 21km races where he often came up against the likes of Abel Chimukoko, Cuthbert Nyasango, Tendai Chimusasa and Fungai Nyapanyota.
“I was then forced to make a decision as the Zimbabwe life was not working out,” he said.
“Nobody took me seriously as all they saw was the guy running around barefoot, naked and with no vision.
“I then decided to move to South Africa to try my luck. I sold my barber equipment to finance the trip.
“I borrowed the rest,” he said.
The unsuccessful 2004 Comrades Marathon experience paved the way for his meeting with Chinnasamy, a coach whose guidance would propel him to an unprecedented three straight Comrades Marathon titles (2011-2013) and a pair of Two Oceans wins.
In total, Muzhingi claims to have earned roughly 1,5 million rand in total earnings and nine gold medals from the Comrades.
He has seven medals from the Two Oceans race.
