adminEllina Mhlanga
Senior Sports Reporter
WILFRED Mashaya’s admiration of Bruce Lee and growing up in a community where hooligans intimidated other members ignited his passion for martial arts that has seen him making a name for himself.
The renowned martial artist had to find a way to dodge the hooligans.
He had to get training of some sort especially as someone who was so fascinated with the legendary Chinese actor Bruce Lee’s films.
At just eight-years-old, Mashaya enlisted into martial arts training but faced stiff resistance from his parents. His mother, Lilian, said it took time for them to accept their son’s choice and his late father, Jameson, became his number one fan.
“He started martial arts when he was very young. I think he was around six or seven years and we didn’t like the idea. But when someone has a gift you can’t fight it.
“He used to watch Bruce Lee on television and loved it.
“And now he is raising the country’s flag around the world and his father, before he passed away, would actually go to the airport to welcome him when returning from events that he would have attended.
“I pray that God grants him heath and the gift of life,” she said.
Mashaya is a holder of four black belts in Kyokushin Karate, Bujinkan Ninjutsu, Kobudo (Weapons) and self-defence. It all begun at Area J Community Hall in Mufakose.
“Actually I was inspired by the late legendary Bruce Lee. Watching his films long back I admired him so much and used to say to myself when I grow up I want to be like Bruce Lee.
“Secondly, as I grew up meeting various Masters. They inspired me, especially the late Sensei Titu (Tito) Chigumbu. He encouraged me so much and contributed greatly to my martial arts life.
“Also growing up in Mufakose then, there were some hooligans, so I just said I also need to train so that as I grow up I will be able to defend myself, my family and beloved ones.
“But it was a bit of a challenge then because my mom and my late dad at first didn’t like the idea… At that time, martial arts was being tarnished by hooligans who trained for wrong purposes.
“So sometimes I would sneak outside the house without anyone noticing to go and train. But with time, my parents began to accept that was something shaping me to a well-disciplined kid and also I became so quiet and reserved,” said Mashaya. His first international tournament was in 2016 when he participated in the International Kobudo Championships and Samurai Show. It remains one of his best moments since he was the only African competing. He repeated the same feat in 2017, when winning one silver and two bronze medals in Russia again. He was inducted into the Barcelona Hall of Honours in June, 2018. In December of the same year he was inducted into the Martial Heroes Hall of Fame in Venice, Italy.
He has won several awards, including the Annual National Sports Awards (ANSA) 2018 Sportsman and Sportsperson of the Year accolades. In 2019, Mashaya was inducted into Serbia and Portugal Hall of Fames respectively. He went on to be crowned the African Union Sports Council Region (AUSC) Five Regional Annual Sports Awards Sportsman of the Year in the same. He has participated in more than 10 virtual tournaments since 2020 and won 22 medals, including 13 gold.
The Zim Ninja Academy founder was recently honoured at the Sixth World Humanitarian Festival of Martial Arts Awards ceremony in Montenegro.
Mashaya, who is an Assistant Inspector in the Zimbabwe Republic Police, received the Master of the Year 2022 award and the 2022 Best Martial Arts Police Instructor of the Year.
He was also handed a Shihan certificate in self-defence by World Federation of Martial Arts.
“The experience is full of ups and downs but as a warrior, I keep going with an indomitable spirit. I just want to thank the Almighty Lord that no matter the obstacles through the journey, I have managed to achieve something and also shine for the country.”
Interestingly, it’s now a father and son affair with his seven-year-old son, Wilfred Junior, also doing well in martial arts.
“Wilfred Jnr, I started training him when he was four-years-old. This was after I had seen some interest in him. Though young, he would watch me training and try to imitate. So I started teaching him few tricks and to my surprise he developed much interest and sometimes he would even do it alone.
“I then Introduced him to martial arts weapons and at five he started competing in virtual competitions and to the surprise of many he started winning at that age and outshining other kids from countries such as France, Italy, Russia and Spain both in karate katas and weapon katas.
“It motivated me to train him further and now at seven-years-old he is doing well that he is now capable of even teaching others even adults… Sometimes he is trained by our Zim Ninja Academy technical director Sensei Shylock Nevanji,” said Mashaya.
“When it’s training it’s serious business, when it’s family time we cheer up, having lighter moments and also encouraging him to also balance between his school work and training.
“Also I don’t limit him to martial arts only as you never know, he might have other hidden talents. So I make him play with other kids doing various games, athletics, playing football and so forth,” said Mashaya.
Mashaya, who will be turning 40 in November, is also into acting.
“In simpler terms my vision is to be better than what I am today and to help others around me to be better also than what they are today by helping them to rise up and shine,” said Mashaya.
Mashaya was born in 1982 at Chin’ombe Clinic in Gutu, Masvingo before his parents relocated to Gokwe. He attended Makundano Primary School and Mufakose 1 High School.
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