Craven Week star dies

home from St John’s College where he was doing his “A’’ Levels.

Burnett was part of the Zimbabwe Under-18 rugby side that finished a commendable sixth out of 20 teams at the Craven Week in South Africa last week, suffering only one defeat to Namibia and winning against Griquas and Limpopo Blue Bulls.

He was one of the three “unsung heroes” of the rugby side that included captain Daniel Moolman and Ivan Bawden as the loose trio lifted Zimbabwe to glory in Polokwane last week.

Coach Godwin “Jaws” Murambiwa, who had led the player in the last two editions of the Craven Week festival, described him as a refreshingly confident and accomplished athlete.

“He was always respectful and I enjoyed coaching him over the last two years I have worked with him and really the way he played in this year’s Craven Week showed how much of a talent and an asset he was to Zimbabwe rugby.

“His defensive skills together with Moolman and Bawden gave us those two victories and he is the kind of player who was always refreshingly confident, something that doesn’t exist in players anymore, but all this is now just in our minds.

“He always had a smile on his face, was hard working and was an accomplished athlete and this is also the same reason he did so well as a swimmer. He was one of those players who, if he wanted to make it as a professional athlete, would surely do so.

“Surely he was a special boy and due to his talents, I am sure he had scholarships waiting for him as one of the junior swimmers. He was a popular kid with the team (Under-18) and everyone liked him. It’s so difficult trying to understand why him at such a young age,” said Murambiwa.

Burnett suffered a knock on his left shoulder in his side’s 43-5 win over hosting franchise Limpopo Blue Bulls last Wednesday and on Saturday the injury worsened and he had to be pulled out in his side’s 10-33 defeat by Namibia before he was taken to hospital.

Because he did not get time to change into his formal wear popularly known as Number Ones, Burnett had to travel with team manager Tungamirai Mashungu to Johannesburg’s OR Tambo Airport from Polokwane in his playing kit as the teams had already left for the airport.

“He always knew when he was right to play or when he was not good enough to play and that is why he indicated to me on Saturday that he could not carry on anymore. He earned six caps at Craven Week, something that is rare and it was a shock to learn of his (untimely) death.

“He had always told me that he had dreamt of giving Zimbabwe rugby a crack and this was just the beginning of his dream and I am sure he would have made it for the Zimbabwe Under-19 side for the Africa Cup and Junior World Rugby Trophy qualifiers. We can now only pray for his family in such tough times,” said Murambiwa.

Burnett was the best defence due to his size and the St John’s College forward had mastered the art and technique of hitting hard, drawing opposition in and getting the ball for his side.

He was also a good jump option for Zimbabwe at the line-out and could carry the ball forward, taking advantage of his big body he offered a very good first line of defence effectively and he was unfortunate not to walk away with the man-of-the-match award against the Griquas.

So good in swimming was Burnett that last year he was nominated for the Annual National Sports Awards’ Junior Sportsman of the Year award where he was the second runner-up to James MacKenzie (rowing) and Dumisani Bhebhe (athletics).

Burnett was also the Mashonaland swimming team captain and was among the top three swimmers in the land and early this year at the National Swimming Championships he scooped more than 12 medals, including 10 golds.

As a swimmer, Burnett was part of the Zimbabwe swimming team that took part at the All-Africa Games in Mozambique in 2011 and was also part of the swimming side that won several medals at the Zone VI Games in Lusaka, Zambia, last December.

There, his team, that included Supriano Andrias, Sloane Marshall and Trevor Price, won a silver medal from the medley relay before he added another bronze from the individual 50m free-style.

His club coach at Sharks Swimming Academy and a veteran in aquatics Cathy Lobb could not hold back her tears as she narrated the kind of person Burnett was and the relationship that had grown between them.

“It’s really devastating that we have lost an athlete like Nick. He was supposed to go for the World Championships in Dubai in August because he was one of our top three swimmers. He had a huge future ahead of him with the 2016 Olympics coming up.

“He was such an inspiration, a role model and a very popular young man to his peers and a lot of the juniors in the swimming fraternity looked up to him and he got the little kids going and he supported them all the way.

“He always led by example and that is why he was also the Mashonaland swimming team captain and my relationship with him as an athlete had ups and downs but had grown more to the levels of being a family.

“I would spend at least two hours with him at the training sessions and we had a one on one relationship,” said an emotional Lobb, in tears.
Zimbabwe Aquatics Union president Mary Kloppers was equally emotional and at a loss of words.

“It’s a huge loss to Zimbabwe swimming. He had lots of potential and we had just started taping into it. He is the kind of an athlete who got on so well with his peers and the juniors liked him so much. He was determined and that is how I can sum it up,” said Kloppers.