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Yoliswa Dube Leisure Reporter
CLAD in a tiny black and pink swim
suit, blue goggles and colourful swimming cap, anyone would think she is headed for the baby pool but that is not the case. Five-year-old Wandile Mpofu swims adeptly in a 30m long and 2m deep pool with so much ease, much to the amusement of many.
While other five-year olds splash water around the baby pool, Wandile has been receiving training from her father, Peter Mpofu. The man believes his daughter has an extraordinary talent that if nurtured could take her places, just like the sensational Olympic gold medalist, Kirsty Coventry. Peter has been nurturing his daughters’ swimming talent at the North End Swimming Pool, in Bulawayo.
Wandile and her sister Wendy, 10, have so much skill and technique at swimming that no child their age is expected to have. However, their story is bitter sweet. They learn at Hugh Beadle Primary School where the swimming pool is defunct. Their father says he cannot afford to pay club fees for both his daughters to swim competitively and be moulded into better swimmers.
“I started teaching Wandile how to swim when she was two years old and Wendy was seven at the time. They have grown at the sport so much. My fear is that their talent might go to waste because they do not swim at school, neither are they part of any swimming club.
“It is important for them to learn in an environment that will be able to develop their skill. I want my girls to be empowered and their skills to be developed. They could be like Kirsty Coventry one day. But that can only happen if they are enrolled at a place that will put them at a better footing that I can afford,” said Peter.
Peter however, lamented that there was little understanding of swimming as a sport.
“Schools have limited resources and they have failed to nurture the sport. Swimming is not emphasised enough and that is killing the sport,” he said.
Peter said he wanted to make sure his young daughters were empowered by developing their swimming talent.
“Although I know that they will get married someday, I want them to be well-rounded and self-sufficient young women,” he said.
Wandile and Wendy both seemed at their happiest while in the swimming pool that many, even adults, dread. They both said they enjoyed swimming and would like to swim competitively, if given the chance. The girls’ mother, Bokani, said her daughters inspired her to learn how to swim. Though not a pro herself, Bokani said she enjoyed swimming leisurely.
“Although I don’t swim competitively, I have learnt how to swim because of my girls. I want them to go far and become professional swimmers. They have so much potential that is not being noticed because they do not have the exposure they need,” she said.
Wandile, the breast-stroke guru and Wendy the master of all strokes emphasised the fact that swimming could be a career path for both of them.
Peter, their father, said he was taught how to swim by his boss, a Soganile. Peter is a full time swimming pool supervisor (life guard).
“I learnt how to swim in the 70s. I swam competitively but my talent went to waste because Blacks were hardly noticed before Independence. I missed the chance to excel at the sport but I am glad my daughters have taken swimming after me. It is as though I am reliving my talent through them,” he said.
Besides regular swimming, both girls are able to do water treading, a survival skill that one can use for more than two hours, if stranded in water.
Wendy, the older sister, is also able to do underwater stunts such as object retrieval. She was, to this reporters’ astonishment, able to retrieve a small stone from the deepest part of the approximately 2m deep swimming pool, within seconds. Bulawayo awaits the exposure of its next great swimming sensations!
Renowned swimmer Kirsty Coventry and the famous tennis sensations, the Blacks – Byron, Cara and Wayne are said to have also been trained by their fathers, now they are household names.
Online Reporter
Sidumisile Mabena