Online Reporter
Lovemore Dube, [email protected]
VERY few of the athletes turning out for Matabeleland South at this weekend’s National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe Inter Provincial Championships truly know the depth of the man guiding them from the sidelines. To most of them, Zibusiso Nyoni is simply “coach” — calm, observant, measured. Few realise they are being led by a man whose own spikes once tore through national and international tracks with authority.
Nyoni is a former national and club meets champion in the 800 metres and 1 500 metres, a middle distance runner of rare quality whose talent announced itself early and loudly. His ability was such that doors beyond Zimbabwe opened for him, at a time when opportunities of that scale were scarce.
So exceptional was his rise that he earned a scholarship to train in Australia and went on to represent Zimbabwe at the 1995 All Africa Games, hosted on home soil. It was a moment that crowned years of quiet grind, belief and persistence.
“I returned from Australia to compete in the All Africa Games and reached the final,” said the Matabeleland South athletics coach.
Now standing on the opposite side of the track, Nyoni speaks with the same quiet confidence about the team he is taking to Harare. There is no bravado, only belief born from experience and a keen eye for potential.
“We are going to the national championships with a decent squad. Small in number but talented enough to do well in Harare,” said the province’s unsung athletics hero.
For more than 25 years, Nyoni has remained one of Matabeleland South’s most reliable athletics servants, guiding schools and provincial teams to the National Youth Games and shaping athletes whose names rarely make headlines but whose journeys carry meaning.
Yet his own path in athletics almost ended before it truly began.
Nyoni was a cross country and 800 metre runner at Mzingwane High School, where he shared dusty tracks and early ambitions with the likes of former 400 metre champion Elijah Nkala, himself a Zimbabwe representative at the All Africa Games. Those formative years planted seeds that would later define his life.
“Seeing Elijah Nkala paraded at assembly with his Zimbabwe blazer motivated some of us. We trained on our own as boys at Mzingwane, with the teacher coming on Thursday, which was the team selection day,” said Nyoni.
After leaving Mzingwane in 1988, Nyoni spent three years teaching before joining the police force in 1991 — a move that reignited his passion for athletics at a time when many would have let it fade.
“While teaching at Sidzibe Secondary School in Insiza, I produced a provincial champion in the 100m, Charles Sibanda. Sadly, he could not proceed with his athletics because of the unavailability of funds,” said Nyoni.
Police training brought its own challenges. Recruits missed competitions, schedules were unforgiving, but Nyoni found ways to keep running. At the Police Morris Depot, he trained alongside top athlete James Gombefza in the 5km and 10km events, both on track and road, sharpening his endurance and race intelligence.
Legendary marathon runner Try Chinhoyi was also among the athletes, and Nyoni still recalls finishing third in the 5 000 metres — a result earned not through raw pace, but through tactical lessons absorbed in cross country racing.
When the 1992 team for the Alaska National Cross Country Championships was announced, Nyoni’s name was missing. Selectors told him he was not fit enough. It was a blow that cut deep.
Anger fuelled resolve. Nyoni asked his instructor for permission to train at the Depot grounds, determined to channel frustration into performance.
“I wanted to kick out the stress, but I did so well that at the next ZRP Athletics Club Championship, I won the 1 500m, beating those who had been in the cross country team. I asked to run the 800m, which I won too, but the coach had been reluctant, arguing that it was not my event,” said Nyoni.
The media captured the moment with headlines that finally gave him public recognition.
“Double Win for The Unheralded Nyoni” screamed headlines in the newspapers.
From there, victories followed. Nyoni won multiple events, even outpacing Hwange’s Moses Dzenga. Months later, his persistence was rewarded when he represented Zimbabwe at the Law Enforcement Agents Olympics.
Competing in the United States, Nyoni delivered a performance for the ages, winning gold in the 800 metres, 1 500 metres and 5 000 metres, as well as in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays — all while proudly carrying the Matabeleland South banner.
When securing permission to take up his Australian scholarship became difficult, Nyoni made a bold decision and resigned from the Zimbabwe Republic Police.
“I trained with the best in Australia and attained coaching papers too, and did a course in computers. I came back in 1995 to run at the All Africa Games,” said Nyoni.
After the All Africa Games, Nyoni continued his journey across the region, competing in Mauritius and Madagascar, where he collected gold medals in the 800 metres and 4x400m relay.
An injury later that year forced him to step away from competitive running, but not from the sport itself. Since then, Nyoni has poured his knowledge into Mtshabezi, Gwanda Government and Gwanda High School, grooming a remarkable list of athletes including Ntando Ndlovu, Khumbulani Dube, Sikhululekile Moyo, Pamela Ndlovu, Thandiwe Nyathi, Brighton Ncube, Southern Region schools gold medallist Dumisani Bhebhe, Andrew Ndlovu, Polite Moyo, Kebonyemosemane Ndebele, national schools 800 metre champion Ndodana Matshinga, who clocked 1 minute 57.18 seconds, and Phakamile Lisimati, now Zimbabwe’s director of coaching.
At his peak, Nyoni ran the 800 metres in 1 minute 47.91 seconds and the 1 500 metres in 3 minutes 50 seconds — times that speak of genuine class.
Today, as his athletes prepare for another national test, Nyoni has one more race to run — the race to keep athletics alive and thriving in the province.
He has called on companies and individuals to come on board and support athletics in Matabeleland South, hopeful that future generations will not be forced to watch their dreams stall where his once nearly did.
