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Tinashe Kusema
THE word “remarkable” is overused in sport, yet it perfectly describes Christine Matange’s flirtation with body-building.
It is quite remarkable how this 44-year-old speaks with such reverence, pride and glee, when she is referring to a sport that she holds so dear.
However, the sport she has given so much of her time and heart has left her with little to show for it.
It is not an easy task to listen to Matange’s story.
As National Federation of Zimbabwe Body-building and Fitness secretary-general Quiet Shangai put it, “Avoid shedding a tear”.
“Christine Matange is one of the finest female bodybuilders to emerge from Zimbabwe. Her list of awards include the Ironman (2011 and 2014), Muscle and Fitness Gweru (2009) and the Musclemania (2012).
“I think she also won the Pro Fitness Open and the Harare Open, back in 2011 and 2012.
“Unfortunately, I saw a YouTube post chronicling her current situation. It is quite a sad story. I dropped tears as I listened to her narrative,” Shangai said.
To better understand Matange’s story, one has to start from the present, go back to the past and then walk back to the present.
Matange is currently a pale shadow of herself, having lost most of the muscle, shape and cut that used to separate her from the crowds.
She has lost most of her mass, and currently weighs about 55kg, which is a massive drop from the 68-70kg she weighed during her reign.
Matange is now making bath soaps and other cleaning accessories, which she sells to put food on the table and send her two sons — Tafadzwa and Tapuwanashe Maponga — to school.
She stills resides at Matapi Flats, in Mbare, which in itself is remarkable, given that she was born in the same place.
This again is the source of her nightmares as demons and ghosts from her past lurk in the corridors of her home.
“As a child, I had a huge chip on my shoulder and bodybuilding was my initial escape.
“I was raised by my mother Annie and stepfather Benjamin Makovere here at Matapi Flats, literally a stone’s throw away from this very room. I shared a room with my stepfather’s three brothers.
“My parents were good to me and I owe them everything I have accomplished.
“But his family were the problem, they used to abuse me a lot, beating me up, depriving me of food and even making me sleep outside.
“My stepfather was a security guard and was away most of the time.
“As a result, I grew up very angry. I would get into lots of fights with my neighbours and fellow residents.
“It got so bad that I had to move away. I would go from relative to relative,” Matange said.
Solace came in the form of a neighbour only referred to as Oliver, who then introduced her to bodybuilding as a way to tame her demons.
“After moving a lot, the countless fights and the arrests, my breakthrough came some time in 2008 when Oliver invited me to the local Matapi gym.
“I almost quit after my first visit, but he would not let me do that. I remember he would knock on our door every day and practically force me to join him for the work outs.
“Months down the line, I started getting the hang of it and working out became my escape,” she said.
It wasn’t long before Matange started shaping up and flirting with competitions.
In her maiden year, she won five titles.
This nurtured her love for the sport and between 2009 and 2016, she collected several accolades.
At her peak, she also managed to win a television set, a refrigerator and a residential stand she was later forced to sell to cushion herself financially.
Unfortunately, that is all she has to show for her time in the sport.
To add insult to injury, the sport also cost her marriage. Her husband then — Farai Maponga — was against her participation in bodybuilding. They parted ways, leaving her to raise her two sons alone.
Matange did not finish her “O” Levels, hence her options are limited when it comes to job prospects.
Online Reporter