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Tadious Manyepo-Sports Reporter
ASSAH Zimusi has never been that lucky all her life.
She has endured trials and tribulations in abundance.
Perhaps an ideal graduate from the proverbial school of the hard knocks.
She vividly remembers how she, after surrendering to fate, survived drowning in almost surreal circumstances while growing up in the back of beyond, deep in the peripheries of Mberengwa.
“We were walking back home from school. I was only 11 years old. On our way home, a plus or minus seven kilometre journey, there was a huge river.
“It would flood whenever rains pounded. On this day, there were rains upstream and we were not aware.
“As we were crossing the river, I was walking behind. We were surprised to notice muddy water coming from upstream. We rushed to cross but I was a second late while all my friends pulled to safety,” she recalls.
“I was swept away by the force and I don’t even know what really transpired. Somehow I managed to cling to a tree on the river bank.
“Some elders were quick to the scene and I was rescued”.
Until that day, Zimusi was an athlete specialising in sprints and had already represented her province at national level.
But after sustaining both physical and mental scars in that incident, she never set her foot at the track again.
“I couldn’t feel confident anymore. I just wanted to be in class and nothing else,” she said.
“But a year later, a new teacher, Mr Maramba, came to our school and he started coaching netball.
“He invited me to the grounds but I always said no. I wasn’t sure about how I would really perform so I kept on refusing his invitations even when he resorted to beating me up”.
Eventually Zimusi agreed to train netball and the rest is history.
And in her historical moment, after defying all the odds to break into the Gems squad for the recently-ended Netball World Cup staged in Cape Town, South Africa, trouble was brewing for the 26-year-old Goal Defender/Wing Defender/Keeper.
Everything was well for the energetic star as she was starring for the Gems in their pre-tournament practice matches against England and Barbados.
She was especially impressive when Zimbabwe overpowered Barbados in their final preparatory match three days before the World Cup.
Then all hell broke loose.
“I started feeling dizzy while experiencing an excruciating headache. At first I thought everything would ease since we had just come out of a match.
“So I thought maybe they were the after-effects since the match was a bit intense,” said Zimusi.
“But the aches turned into sharp itching and I was scratching my plaited head like a mad man. Before long, my face was swelling.
“The medical team quickly moved in and stabilised me. But for hours that followed, I was really in pain and still feeling the itching. It was a terrible experience for me.
“That is how I ended up removing the braids from my head and for the entire tournament I spotted unkempt hair (laughs)”.
Thanks to the Gems medical team and the entire delegation which ensured that Zimusi remained focused after the sudden illness, the Harare City player would collect herself and put on some flawless performances in the World Cup show.
She was limited to cameos in the opening matches with coach Ropafadzo Mutsauki deploying captain Felicitas Kwangwa, Elizabeth Mushore and Shyleen Makusha in defence.
But once the technical department decided to entrust Zimusi with the WD position, the Mberengwa-born girl turned into a beast, bossing around and playing with so much conviction.
Zimbabwe eventually finished 13th in the 16-team showpiece but Zimusi, who was one of the several debutantes in the World Cup, showed that obstacles can be the way, after all.
Online Reporter