Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
HWANGE’S Big Charlie, born Charles Nyoni (65) should be in the Guinness Book of Records as one of the tallest men in the world.
He is 2,10 metres tall, weighs 288kg and his shoe size is 23 or 24.
The world’s tallest man, Mr Sultan Kosen of Ankara in Turkey is 2,51m tall while the 10th tallest in the globe, Ms Uljana Semjonova, a Russian basketball player is slightly above 2,10 metres (6 feet 9 inch) tall, according to the Guinness Book of Records.
Pakistani national, Mr Billal Heyder (28) who is 2,4 metres tall and does not appear in the top 10, once visited Zimbabwe in 2015 and caused a stir in Harare and Bulawayo.
On the other hand, Big Charlie who will be celebrating his 65th birthday on April 8, is little known around Zimbabwe and is only famous around Hwange.
The former Mulonga primary and Ndlovu secondary school pupil used to make heads turn whenever he moved around Hwange but ill-health has kept him either indoors or within the vicinity of his house: Number A62 in A Section in Number 1.
At 13 years while in Grade Seven, Big Charlie had outsized all shoes found in Zimbabwe.
He said local shoe making companies, particularly Bata, then only had shoes up to size 16 which meant there was no size for him.
As a result, he attended secondary school wearing homemade sandals (acanthella).
Big Charlie’s height is a result of a medical disorder known as acromegaly, a rare condition.
As a result of the condition he suffers from diabetes and laxity of joints hence he has a back and knee problem. He also suffers from hypertension and struggles to buy medicines and food.
A former Hwange Colliery Company employee, Big Charlie stays in a company house given to him by his former employer and shares it with four siblings.
He walks with the aid of a single crutch and can no longer walk up straight.
His legs are full of scars from wounds caused by the diabetes condition.
Zanu-PF National Political Commissar Cde Victor Matemadanda made an impromptu donation of some groceries to Hwange’s iconic man and pledged to send some money to him via EcoCash.
The donation was handed over by the party’s Hwange District Coordinating Committee (DCC) chairman Cde Matthew Muleya who was accompanied by some district and provincial members on Monday.
Cde Matemadanda was in Hwange on Monday to investigate concerns raised by some DCC members when he was told about Big Charlie.
“These things are coming from the National Political Commissar. He thought of giving you these groceries and he will be sending some money on EcoCash. As DCC chairman, I am only handing over to you on his behalf,” said Cde Muleya.
The groceries included 20kg mealie meal, rice and cooking oil.
Big Charlie said he survives on the benevolence of well-wishers, especially the Methodist Church, his church.
He said for breakfast he eats a loaf of bread, half a dozen eggs and has a special 1,5 litre mug which he uses for tea.
For lunch or supper, he eats three portions of isitshwala and more than half a chicken but hardly can afford these meals because of lack of money.
“I am grateful for this donation as it will go a long way in helping me. I am not working and I struggle to buy food and medicines. As we speak, I have no drugs and I would appreciate the money they are going to send as I will use it to buy medicines,” he said.
Big Charlie’s mother lives in Milonga, Jambezi. His father died in the 1972 Hwange Colliery Mine’s Kamandama disaster.
Big Charlie worked in the company’s estates department until 2012 when he was retrenched alongside hundreds of others.
He says he was once married and his wife left him with their two sons.
A cobbler in Hwange used to make him some sandals using conveyor belt pieces while some tourists from outside the country would also bring him shoes and clothes.
Big Charlie has a manager, Mr Weekly Mwale, a former Hwange FC goalkeeper who assists him.
“My duty is to handle crowds because a lot of people come to visit him. I also organise his travelling because many vehicle owners or public transporters don’t want to carry him, hence we usually use an open truck because some even charge him more saying he occupies more space,” said Mr Mwale. — @ncubeleon
Online Reporter