Vusumuzi Dube
Valencia Ndhlovu, Sunday News Reporter
SEVENTEEN year old para-athlete, Pride Tadiwanashe Mafira who is a below the knee amputee from Victoria Falls went to South Africa to get prosthetic blade from the Icexpress Progressive Prosthetics in Pretoria.
Mafira participates in para-athletics classified as a T64/F 64, T for track and F for field events. He has taken part in international virtual marathons during the Covid-19 induced lockdowns. Back in 2019, he was third in the Junior Sportsperson of the Year with a disability.
“I was born with a congenital condition called fibula hemimelia, whereby the fibula bone is shorter than it is supposed to be so it had to be amputated when I was six months old,” said Pride.
Pride, together with his father Fedrick Mafira went to South Africa to get his prosthesis blade fixed as it had become short and uncomfortable. The blading needs to be done five times a year where they either change the blade, socket or the sock liner. His father however attends to clinics at home to save costs and he changes the sole and does alignment when it’s off.
A WhatsApp group was created to fundraise for the South Africa trip and well-wishers participated and managed to raise funds for him to go to South Africa and get his prosthetic blade.
“Our sponsors on this journey that we would like to thank from the bottom of our hearts are Lynn Pacella, River Brewery, Greenline Africa, Wild Horizons, Jafuta Foundation, Pioneer Lodge, Victoria Falls community, Zimbabwe National Paralympics Committee, Rotary Club, Victoria Falls Safari lodge, New Apostolic church and Shearwater,” said the father.
Pride is an ambassador for jumping kids South Africa so he got the prosthetic blade from Icexpress Progressive Prosthetics in Pretoria South Africa.
“I am very happy that I can walk upright and thank you to all the people who participated in raising funds for me,” said Pride.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter