adminEllina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
WHILE tennis was regarded as an elite sport before Zimbabwe’s independence and in the early 1980s there has been a transformation over the years as more black players began taking interest in the sport. Some of the blacks are making positive contributions in promoting the sport which was largely closed to the effluent
One such person who managed to make an early breakthrough in the 80s and made some positive impact on the black society’ through tennis is seasoned coach and administrator, Albert Nhamoyebonde.
Nhamoyebonde was first elected to the then Tennis Association of Zimbabwe board in 1981. He later served as TAZ vice-president from 1987 to 1988. He was also the chairman of the Davis Cup committee in 1988.
He established the Mufakose Tennis Agency producing a number of players Martin Dzuwa, who became the first black person to win the Zim Open tennis title.
In 2011 he was elected an honorary life vice-president of Tennis Zimbabwe in recognition of his contribution in sport. Speaking to The Herald yesterday, as the country approaches its 35th Independence celebrations on April 18, Nhamoyebonde said independence opened doors for the disadvantaged as the tennis was taken to the high density suburbs.
“Basically the advent of independence brought awareness of tennis to disadvantaged children in the high density areas. Without Independence nothing would never have been achieved easily.
“Disadvantaged children had an opportunity to also be able to play tennis a sport which had been preserved for the well-heeled or those with money or for the whites only.
“The facilities were at sports clubs and in group A schools while group B schools in the high densities did not have. So we had to embark on building our tennis facility in Mufakose near where the good number of the black children lived.
“So Mufakose High 2, that’s where we built the tennis courts and they were opened in 1992. But from 1984 we were using borrowed facilities and that actually made it easy for the children to walk to the facilities.
“And that made it a wonderful strike to compete at the same level with those in the northern suburbs and we made great impact. Our players had to play in the Youth Championships in Moscow when the whites refused to go to Moscow. They also went to Mozambique contesting in solidarity sporting occasions. They would be invited for events such as independence celebrations, that is what they used to do,” said Nhamoyebonde.
Some of the players he produced include the likes of Peter Nyamande, Martin Dzuwa, Richmore Murape, Lazarus Manjoro, Shepherd Manyumbu, Hilary Nyakabawo, Claudio Murape, Godwin Madzima, Shingirayi Nyagura and Andrew Mawire. Some of them got tennis scholarship in the United States.
“Those were the earnest players I had, Godwin Madzima who went to America in 1986 and later on I had Shingirayi Nyagura and Andrew Mawire, who went on scholarship also.
“And also the first blacks to win the Zimbabwe Senior Open were Martin Dzuwa in the singles and with Peter Nyamande they won the doubles in 1995. The Davis Cup first black captain was Claudio Murape and now Martin Dzuwa. He is also from our programme,” said Nhamoyebonde. Although the sport is now open to anyone who wants to play it seems the country is yet to realise the full potential of those players to scale greater heights.
The TZ honorary life vice-president said this is due to lack of resources which has not only affected tennis but various sporting disciplines.
“The major problem is because of our financial problem, it’s very difficult. You can identify talent but how do you nurture and sustain it if you don’t have resources. So lack of resources has impeded the development of sport in the country,” said Nhamoyebonde.
His crop of players led by Murape were also the first blacks in Zimbabwe to play in the first division league.
Online Reporter