The Sunday Mail
TAFADZWA CHITOKWINDO is playing big time rugby in Germany but life is not a breeze for the Sables and Cheetahs winger.
Racism often makes his life a living hell but he is not taking it lying down. After suffering some shocking racism the TV Pforzheim player is using his status as a professional rugby player to take the fight to dimwits that discriminate someone on the basis of their skin colour.
“Germany is not the most welcoming country for foreigners. Some people in that country live in a bubble and don’t view too kindly to foreigners, worse still black people. It’s as if they think every black person is a refugee from war torn countries,” said Chitokwindo.
“I remember this incident during my early days there. . .I had gone to buy some supplies at a nearby grocery store and as soon as I got into the shop this security guy started following me around. When I got home, I realised that I had left a few items and returned to the shop, after which the guy became even more suspicious.
“I could hear him warn someone over the phone to keep an eye on me. A week later I bumped into the same guy as I was coming from a game and he was legitimately shocked that I was a professional rugby player. He apologised and we have become friends; in fact he is one of my biggest fans.”
Chitokwindo views this experience as a life lesson and has since dedicated his free time to helping immigrants assimilate into German life.
“It my own small way of making the world better,” he said.
There is a slew of diamond-encrusted bullet points that stand out about Chitokwindo but it is the 28-year old’s humility that is the most striking. That humility comes with a good sense of humour which saw Chitokwindo nicknamed MaRubber by his schoolmates.
“I was kind of a jokester during my school days and people just started calling me MaRubber after the Kapfupi play. That is where the nickname really originated from; anything other version you hear is big lie,” he said.
Despite rising into being a key member of both the Sables and Cheetahs squads Chitokwindo insists that he is a better footballer that he is a rugby player.
“Rugby is my life but my true passion is football,” said the Germany based winger.
“I actually see myself as a better football player and could have gone far with sport were it not for a combination of fate and bad timing. You see, I was once called up for trials with the Under-20 soccer national team but failed to go after I received the message late due to the fact that I was in Gwanda visiting relatives.”
Chitokwindo emerged as one of the biggest story from last weekend’s Kwese Victoria Falls Sevens after he made his long awaited return after a 10-month long injury layoff.
“I was kind of nervous for most of flight as I had not played a single game since I broke my foot while playing for my club in Germany. However, all those nerves disappeared the minute I put on the jersey and ran onto the park. It was as if I had not missed a single game,” he revealed.
