The Sunday Mail
Tinashe Kusema
Deputy Sports Editor
GRIEVING has not been easy for the family and friends of the late Sanele “Smiley” Sibanda, in particular his Sables teammate and close buddy George Saungweme.
Sanele died in a car crash on May 4 last year and his death plunged the entire local rugby fraternity into mourning.
And now, as the first anniversary of that fateful day fast approaches, Saungweme has opened up on how he dealt with the loss, anxiety and bouts of depression that came with Sibanda’s passing.
A loss that was compounded by the onset of the coronavirus, and caught the 29-year-old stuck in a foreign land with a few friends to turn to.
“The year 2020 was bittersweet for me. We lost Sanele in a car accident, Covid-19 was just starting to pick up and I remember how I was living in constant fear of catching the virus. The passing on of someone I called a close friend just added onto that,” Saungweme said.
Sibanda, or Smiley as he was known within rugby circles, is best remembered for two things, his infectious smile and love for food.
“I met him back in 2011 at Harlequins, and our bond grew tenfold as the years went on. Our favourite hobby was eating.
“I remember there was a meat shop near his place; and we would buy supplies that could last a month for a family, but for us that was just a week.
“When he moved to England we still kept in touch and would hang around when he got back home for national team camps. The last time I saw him was with the Zimbabwe Academy side in Cape Town,” he said.
After Sibanda’s death, despair hung over Saungweme’s head like a black cloud, draining his mood and leaving the Spain-based international in depression, something that required therapy.
“His untimely death shocked me.
“I started having nightmares, largely due to both the loss and the pandemic, and they became more constant.
“Visits to the team shrinks and phone calls to fellow mutual friend Bisilele Tshamala sort of helped get through his passing (Smiley).
“Approaching the anniversary of his passing has now kind of re-opened all the wounds,” the Sables forward said.
Fortunately, the year 2021 has come with some hope for the loose forward — hope for better days ahead, and hope for healing.
Saungweme believes he is one of the lucky few.
Based in Spain-and plying his trade at CAR Coanda Sevilla, Saungweme is one of the few Zimbabwean rugby players still active.
“The Covid situation has actually improved here in Spain, with the death rate lowering.
“Most national league sports have returned to action, with football, rugby first and second divisions and a couple other sports disciplines.
“We (rugby) started with team programmes, where you started off at home and then gradually moved to group training.
“We then moved to team training at the facilities, and then started getting tested as we moved towards pre-season.
“It was round about that time that we went into a bubble, got tested again and then started playing our friendly matches,” he said.
The return has not come without its protocols as aside from the usual sanitising, frequent testing and bubble, a bye weekend is put on the fixture release to accommodate teams that would have missed a game due to Covid-19 cases.
Four cases are the maximum that will cause the postponement or cancellation of games, with Madrid teams the hardest hit.
Travel to Madrid is mostly through road to minimise the risk of infection.
Still that has not stopped Saungweme from enjoying being back on the field and dreaming of more Sables caps.
He has already availed himself for selection should national coach Brendon Dawson consider him.
“My Sables debut came back in 2016 in Namibia, and I have gone on to accumulate 12 caps since then.
“I am hoping to add more to that tally.
“Representing your country is such a great honour; and if the coaches see it fit that that I’m the one for the job, then my hand will always be up for selection,” Saungweme said.
