Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga-Zimpapers Sports Hub
A PROUD MASTER was back in Harare in the past days.
The Wales assignment had been delivered.
“It’s always encouraging when you plant a seed and it grows to bear fruits,” Zim Ninja Academy founder Wilfred Mashaya explains.
His is a journey that will outlive him.
The renowned martial artist recently led a largely young team to represent the country at the International Combat Organisation (ICO) World Championships in Wales.
The team scooped 43 medals — 14 gold, 18 silver and 11 bronze — competing in categories ranging from traditional weapons, creative weapons and freestyle to advanced weapons.
The team was drawn from the Zim Ninja Academy, established in 2018 by Mashaya, who is credited for introducing kobudo in Zimbabwe.
“I am seeing that one of the goals why I established Zim Ninja Academy, which is to produce world champions, is being fulfilled,” says Mashaya.
As he explains, the passion is visible.
Mashaya is a holder of four internationally certified black belts.
He holds a first dan black belt in ninjutsu, second dan black belt in karate, master degree second dan black belt in kobudo and fourth dan black belt in self-defence.
The academy specialises in teaching karate, kobudo, ninjutsu and self-defence.
“Zim Ninja Academy was established in 2018 after I met with Dr Kirsty Coventry (former Minister of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture) at her offices when she called me after winning several events,” says Mashaya.
“She has her swimming academy; that’s when she shared the idea, encouraging me.
“Then I just had a club, and she encouraged me to develop the sport and spread it from the young to the adults since there were not many people doing the sport.”
That was when Mashaya formed the Zim Ninja Academy, with the objective of grooming both the young and the old.
“I am happy the adults have competed and won. Vincent Fambira in 2023 went to England and won the World Championships, the ladies went to South Africa in 2023 for a regional tournament and won medals,” he says.
“Then our young members this time around went to Wales and won.”
The team in Wales was made up of Dean Gwatah, Anotida Hove, Thandeka Moyo, Anenyasha Hove, Takudzwa Chizema, Wilfred Mashaya Jnr, Arnold Mudzengerere and Brian Mupindu Jnr.
Each member won more than one medal.
The Zim Ninja Academy founder is determined to see more of his students reaching greater heights.
Not only that, but to also contribute to addressing social vices affecting communities such as drug and substance abuse.
“The vision is to make sure that we train both kids and adults martial arts,” says Mashaya. “To nurture them so that they enjoy all the benefits of martial arts — from discipline, physical fitness, supporting mental health and producing champions.
“I am looking forward to grooming more and hopefully make it a centre of excellence as far as martial arts is concerned, not only in the country but in the region. I am working on it.
“We want to set an example that in Africa we have what it takes to produce world-class martial artists through the Zim Ninja Academy.”
Mashaya, who is popularly known as Zim Ninja, says they are teaching against drug and substance abuse at the academy.
“We say no to drug and substance abuse through martial arts by taking kids and the youth out of the streets through martial arts and keeping them occupied.
“We are saying it is better to groom a child than to mend a broken man,” he says.
Mashaya’s passion for martial arts goes way back to when he was just a young boy growing up in Mufakose in the 1990s.
“I grew up watching Bruce Lee’s films and I was inspired by his films. Seeing him playing around with the chuckle sticks, I was very much inspired. Some of his electrifying moves were also inspirational. I just said when I grow up, I want to be like Bruce Lee,” he says.
“I started making my own chuckle sticks; that’s when I started practising weapons.”
Mashaya says he ventured into karate when he was eight.
“The person who then trained me was the late sensei Titus Chigumbu, training kyokushin karate,” he says.
“But weapons, we call them kobudo, I practised on my own because there was no international certified ninjas who knew the ninjutsu style, so most of these things I was doing on my own.”
His passion paid off in 2016 when he was invited to take part in a tournament in Russia.
“As I was growing up, I started searching on the internet, experimenting with more weapons until I was called to Russia in 2016; that was my first international tournament,” he says.
“From there I never looked back until now. When I went to other countries such as Italy and Spain, that’s when I started to receive proper grading.”
The multiple award winner has been honoured in different countries, including Serbia, Portugal and Montenegro, for his efforts in promoting kobudo.
However, it has not been a smooth journey.
“Lack of sponsorship and lack of resources is our drawback,” he says. “But the highs are when you go out and win; you will be making the nation proud and people celebrate with you.
“And when you win titles such as the Sportsperson of the Year, Regional Sportsman of the Year, inducted into the Hall of Fame, win World Championships, it is exciting.
“Then my recent achievement, one of my greatest achievements, is managing to take with me eight children to the World Championships and they managed to win.
“It’s something that is priceless to me and it’s something that I hold dear to my heart, and that I groomed kids who were able to succeed at the world stage.”
Mashaya says getting accolades in another country was a great honour.
“I just want to give all the credit to the Almighty Lord that I can be chosen and get honoured with people from other countries,” he says.
“And sometimes when I am honoured or inducted into the Hall of Fame, I realise that I am the only black person. It’s something that I feel is a blessing.
“It makes me feel that I am an ambassador. I have a role to play in making our nation proud, so it’s a great feeling.”
