The Sunday Mail
Titus Itai Zvomuya
THE Zimbabwean sporting fraternity and family lost a true icon on Monday, 21 October 2019 when former world athletics champion, former athletics coach, and former athletics administrator Artwell “Mhangura” Mandaza passed away after a long illness. The 73-year-old Chiweshe-born sportsperson retired from active participation in sport as a coach and administrator in 2013 when his health began to fail him. However, he continued to be visible in the province and was never one to miss an event in Mashonaland Central.
He was a true sportsperson and touched lives of many coaches, students and administrators (both current and past). More importantly, he was a great person and his loss leaves a huge void in the lives of all those who loved him and adored him.
Artwell told me he had a dream of setting up an academy and had actually acquired land next to his village for this project. Unfortunately, and to his disappointment people he approached for assistance including notable politicians in his home province, Mashonaland Central, some notable administrators and organisations turned him down.
Artwell was a true, heart–felt ambassador for athletics, fans and the entire greater sporting community. On one of the occasions that I visited him in Chiweshe he said to me, “I am not afraid of death, or dying, but it’s just my family and athletics. I have a lot of people that still depend on me and need me”. This really touched me.
Artwell was a gentle giant on and off the track as well as a fierce competitor and tremendous athlete who participated in sport with great passion. Looking at him each time I visited him in Chiweshe he was a pale shadow of himself and when he looked into you, you could see the eyes of a frustrated and dejected person. As a person inducted into the Zimbabwe Sports Hall of Fame my humble wish would have been to see the Zimbabwean flags flying at half-mast in his honour and his body buried at the National Sports Stadium or anywhere close to that facility. He deserved it!
Artwell was one of the most superior athletes you will ever find in Zimbabwe. He had tremendous speed. Great brains too. Great range as an athlete and great instinct.
Mandaza continued his athletics career as a coach and administrator throughout his life. I am proud to say that I was part of the group of judges that selected, shortlisted and eventually bestowed on him the honour to be in the Hall of fame and when his name came up there was no debate or argument. All judges nodded in agreement and moved on to the next name. An accolade well-deserved.
I first heard of the name Artwell Mandaza in 1970 when I was in Grade Six in my maternal home in Rusape, when he won the coveted Sportsperson of the Year Award in 1970, after the whole country sang with one voice that he indeed deserved the accolade ahead of a strong multi-racial field of sportspersons and an array of other sporting disciplines like rugby, cricket, horse racing, (equestrian) cycling, rowing among many others that could have easily beaten athletics and Mandaza.
Like many journalists and academics have said “his only sin was probably being born in this country, and reaching his peak, at a time when Rhodesia was banned from international sport. He missed out on the 1972, 1976 Olympics and by the time Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980, he was past his prime.
In 1971 when I sat for the Grade 7 Examinations the General Paper’s first question was, “who was the 1970 Sports Person of the Year”. It’s the only question I still remember from this paper. Just to buttress the point that Artwell did leave an indelible mark on me and my career as a sports administrator.
Fortunately, I had heard a lot about Artwell from my late maternal uncle William Makombore who was the senior welfare officer at Mangula Mine for many years and was proud of Artwell’s achievements as an administrator.
My first physical encounter with Artwell came in 1979 when I was studying for my Certificate in Education at the then Umtali (now Mutare) Teachers’ College. Artwell was invited to be a guest presenter to the final year Physical Education and Sports Students. I was now in my second year and was also studying Physical Education and Sports as a major subject. Artwell impressed me as much with his depth of knowledge and passion for athletics. I could only but admire him. He struck me as someone who knew his area and though not having an academic degree, was no doubt above a number of our lecturers. I had the honour of giving a vote of thanks on this day as I was the SRC vice-president and student leader for my year-group. The then vice-principal Gerald McCullough invited me and a few other students to join him and Artwell for lunch. During lunch, I sat next to Artwell who said to me in a deep voice “Young man, I was impressed by your speech and you are well poised for a good future as a sports administrator. I also observed you doing some P.E. drills. You are just amazing. I will be there to support you if you need my help”. To date, I have not looked back after this statement and the rest is history. I continued to interact with Artwell on many occasions. He continued to impress me with his knowledge of athletics. No wonder I came out with a distinction in physical education and sport and in teaching practice in 1980. Artwell had been my inspiration. In 1985, I was promoted to be a physical education and sports lecturer at Bondolfi Teachers’ College at the age of 26. Bondolfi is a Roman Catholic Institution in Masvingo. Artwell advised me to link up with two prominent gentlemen, Mr Mtizwa from Renco Mine and Mr Mugomba who was the Masvingo Amateur Athletics Board chairperson based at Gaths Mine.
Artwell encouraged me to train as an athletics coach as well as an official and I am glad to say I did take up the offer. I might not be a practicing coach or technical official now, but at one point I was one of the highest qualified coaches and technical officials in Zimbabwe. In 1994, I joined University of Zimbabwe as an assistant sports director alongside Robert Mutsauki who was in charge of athletics at the University. My linkages with Artwell again grew deeper and stronger. He was now the director of coaching in NAAZ and each time there was an athletics course or workshop he would invite me.
This experience helped me become the sports director of the University in 1997. Artwell began to visit me on a regular basis in my office and on one occasion in 1997, he discovered that he was a very close relative of mine.
This changed our relationship completely. I immediately became his confidante and we began to share so many deep secrets. Starting from how he would be discriminated as a black athlete for Team Rhodesia to the abortive 1972 and 1976 Olympics.
How some of his counterparts were rewarded with icons and houses on their return and he had to look for bus fare to return to Mangula now Mhangura. Fortunately, Mangula had an office in Harare (then Salisbury) and they would assist him on all the occasions.
Part of his saddest story was when a former Minister of Youth, Sport and Recreation took all his medals and some certificates with the promise of approaching the former President and Head of State for recourse. These medals, some of which were from pure gold were never returned to him.
He asked me to assist in relocating these medals but all my efforts hit brick walls. On one occasion, we were in my office discussing this and other issues and the former President of Zimbabwe, the late President Canaan Banana walked in. We were running a very successful football team (Academy) that produced the likes of Benjani Mwaruwari, Lovemore Mapuya, and Herbert Dick among others and Prof Banana was the technical director.
We narrated Artwell’s story to Professor Banana who promised to assist. To his credit, Professor Banana approached the then Minister who professed ignorance. He approached so many other people including the police but alas these medals were never found as they could not be traced. This made Artwell a very bitter person and until his death he never forgave the culprits.
He was also bitter that at some point he was made to race against a horse at Borrowdale Race Course to raise funds for Team Zimbabwe.Something he did well and the bumper crowd at the race course loved it. However, Artwell never received a cent from this except just busfare to return back home.
My last professional encounter with Artwell was when he joined Bindura University of Science Education as an athletics coach in the National Sports Academy. I had actually recommended his appointment to the director of sports and recreation Mrs Tsitsi Muzuva and the then Executive Dean of Science Professor Wilson Parawira who were running the sports academy before I joined the university.
In 2015 Artwell lost his wife Mebo and this had a toll on his health. I did visit him on a number of occasions in his rural home and each time I would visit him his health would have deteriorated but his memory remained sharp and his passion for sports never ceased.
On one occasion Mr Tommy Sithole (former Zimbabwe Olympic Committee president) sent me US$800.00 to help him as he obviously was struggling. When we offered him the envelope and he opened it all he could do was shed tears and say “Tell Tommy that he remains dear to me and that I think of him daily.”
Once when I visited him in Chiweshe he expressed his wish to have a book written on his life and exploits. When I said I could help facilitate this for him he categorically said, “No ways Sekuru Mukanya. I only want you to write this book as I have been let down by many people both local and international.” He even told me that so many international writers had approached him to undertake this noble venture and he had refused their offers. That was Artwell.
Over and above this, Artwell had promised me that he would offer the National Sports Academy all his artefacts, newspaper cuttings, pictures, uniforms, kit and the few remaining medals as his contribution toward the proposed Olympic Study Center at the National Sports Academy.
Artwell became the first man in the whole world to clock a sub 10 seconds in 100m in Welkom, South Africa in 1970. Much as there were controversies at this time, many academics and professionals believe this to be true and accurate but only for the colour of his skin and country of origin that his 9.90s was not set as a world record.
Artwell set many national records among them 100m, 200m 110m hurdles most of which have been broken. One national record 200m has stood. He set this record in 1997 at the Chamber of Mines Championships. The other record not broken is the 400m set in 1970 at the Adon Trevas Chamber. It’s a record of 46.2s.
Artwell represented Mangula at many Chamber of Mine Championships, during his hey days. He also represented the country at many regional, continental andTo crown it all Artwell was there in Moscow at the 1980 Summer Olympic Games.
One journalist had this to say on the day he died. “Mandaza died a poor man, his rural home a far cry from the revered athlete he was, once again raising the issue of the plight of living sporting heroes forgotten by their former employers and teams, and fans who packed the stadia to watch them in action and be entertained by them…”
Mandaza’s friendly and familiar presence in the athletics community will be missed by all of us. He was a professional and gentleman whose passion for athletics, the athletes and his fellow administrators was evident in the way he went about his work and life. Seeing his body being lowered into the grave and being covered by gravel was one of the most devastating experiences and encounters in my life.
During his 73 years on this planet, athletics allowed Artwell to impact many athletes, communities, races both big and small. In his own hometown Bindura, he was a beacon of light and a staunch athlete. He was a great feature in the athletics community throughout Zimbabwe. Athletics is what Artwell loved to do. It’s how he inspired people and it was something that made him feel alive.
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