Online ReporterLeonard Ncube
FORMER rugby national team player and assistant coach for the national Women’s Sevens, Octavia Munhamo-Chikukura, who died early this month in Ireland, has been laid to rest in her home town of Hwange. It was a sombre triumph of a farewell — a send‑off befitting a warrior who gave everything on the field, in the classroom, and in the dusty grassroots centres where she nurtured countless young talents.
Born on August 24, 1983, Munhamo Chikukura died on March 8, and her body was repatriated for burial at Hwange Cemetery near Hwange Zesa Power Station on Wednesday. The homecoming was emotional, the kind that freezes time: a daughter of Hwange returning to the soil that shaped her, carrying with her a legacy that stretches far beyond the game.
Catholic priests Fr Irvin Lumano and Fr Proud Muunga co-celebrated the funeral Mass at Mary Help of Christians Parish at Don Bosco, and at the burial, speakers described Munhamo Chikukura’s death as a loss not only to the family, but the whole sporting fraternity and community in general. The words rang heavy because everyone present knew they were true; rugby has lost a heartbeat, a spark, a relentless giver.
On the way to the graveyard, the body was paraded around Hwange town and Hwange Diggers Rugby ground, where she built a fortress as a player and coach. It was a moving procession — the streets of Hwange turning into a tunnel of honour, the stadium that once roared her name whispering its final salute. That field had seen her run, tackle, teach, and transform. It carried her story, and now it carried her farewell.
Hwange Diggers players and rugby administrators from across Matabeleland North, family members and mourners had a mock game time in honour of the late Munhamo Chikukura, who broke into professional rugby in Harare as a wing player at Harare Sports Club in 2001.
The Hwange Diggers team made a war cry in her memory, and her body was also laid flanked by two rugby balls.
Poignant symbols, perfectly placed: the oval balls she embraced for decades, resting at her side as if guarding her legacy.
Speaking in Hwange, Matabeleland North Rugby Football Board chair Shawn Zvitete said her death is a huge loss to the sports fraternity.
“Today I celebrate her life and the legacy she left in this world. She was a mentor in my life, and I gained experience through her. It is painful to lose a mentor who guided me in rugby. We will always fly the Matabeleland North rugby flag higher to honour her work and dedication,” he said.
His voice carried the weight of every player she lifted, every door she opened, every dream she fuelled.
A prominent Zimbabwean rugby player, coach and administrator based in Hwange, Matabeleland North, Munhamo Chikukura attended Marist Brothers Secondary School in Dete. From there, the script of her life unfolded with the energy of someone destined to redefine boundaries.
After starting professional rugby in Harare, she moved to Bulawayo in 2003 where she joined Western Panthers ladies’ team (Highlanders). Her rise was steady, unstoppable, and always rooted in giving more than she took.
Her first national team call-up was for the Africa Sevens Cup in 2007, and from then she became the core of the 7s team in and outside the country as wing or centre. She retired in 2015 and concentrated on club rugby while pursuing coaching.
Even in retirement, she was never off the field; she simply switched lanes — from scoring tries to creating pathways for others to score theirs.
Munhamo Chikukura attained Level One 15s coaching in 2015 and later a Level Two 15s coaching. She served as Hwange Diggers technical committee member, Matabeleland North Rugby Board chairperson, a former National Women’s Sevens assistant coach and a passionate developer of girls’ rugby in grassroots areas.
Her name became synonymous with possibility for young girls who had never imagined themselves holding a rugby ball, let alone excelling at the sport.
She was credited for introducing rugby in schools and in Victoria Falls. She started setting up structures in Matabeleland North, resulting also in the introduction of tag rugby in schools, working with Tag Rugby Trust.
Munhamo Chikukura ensured the province became a full member of the Zimbabwe Rugby Union. Structure by structure, child by child, she built something that will outlive us all.
She is survived by three children, a son and two daughters. And while they have lost a mother, the nation has lost a pioneer — yet her legacy, rich and roaring, will never be buried.
