Online Reporter
Tinashe Mukono
Zimpapers Sports Hub
“I HAVE been a kombi driver, a tout, a vendor.” — Leeford Zuze says it like it is nothing. Like it does not sit awkwardly next to a stopwatch reading 44.91 seconds. That time made him only the second Zimbabwean to break the 45-second barrier in the 400m race.
It came against Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo. It should have been the moment everything changes.
But after the race, Zuze still had to think about work, going back to the Simon Muzenda Street (formerly Fourth Street) rank.
He is part of the Zimbabwe 4x400m relay team that has forced its way back into relevance, alongside Gerren Muwishi, Dennis Hove and Thandazani Ndhlovu. Their run at the Lefika International Relays rewrote history, 3 minutes 00.69 seconds, finally breaking a national record that had stood since 1997.
“Our focus had simply been qualification,” Zuze recalls. “We only learned about the record about 30 minutes after the race.”
By then he had already been pulled aside for a random doping test, taken out of the moment while the rest of the team celebrated.
“I remember when I came back from the anti-doping room and everyone was celebrating wildly. That is when I realised we had broken the record. I was beyond thrilled, but part of me felt overwhelmed because it has been a long journey,” he said. That journey has not ended. Not even close.
“I have done many jobs, but the challenge for me is finding someone willing to employ a person who balances work and athletics. That is my dilemma,” he said.
Zuze trains like a professional, competes like a professional, but lives like everyone else, with no sponsorship, financial cushion or guarantees.
“Most of my fans are vendors and commuters,” he says. “These are the people who have seen and appreciated my journey. I am the everyday man, the guy next door. I am everyone, you and me.”
Only last week, he stood on the track with Tebogo and did not flinch.
“Racing against Tebogo disrupted my initial plan, but I did not panic. I focused on improving. Once the race started, it unlocked a competitive edge in me,” he says.
“I remember when he passed me, and I had to catch up on the bend to set up a proper race. In the end, I feel I lost on a few small details, but I intend to correct those.”
A typical day for Zuze is still built around hustling first, training somewhere in between.
His growth is now feeding into the relay team, something captain and coach Muwishi sees clearly.
“Monya is a total inspiration, who rose from rural beginnings to become a track star,” said Muwishi. “His success has not changed him. He remains the people’s champion. His energy inspires everyone in the team, and as we continue working together, our times keep improving.”
That group now heads to Gaborone for the Botswana Golden Grand Prix before setting up camp for the World Relays.
“I draw inspiration from everywhere, but nothing intimidates me. My life story has taught me to stand my ground,” says Zuze.
“I spend most of my time at the Fourth Street bus terminus, where everyone knows me. So racing athletes like Tebogo is an achievement, but it does not unsettle me.”
There is no fear because he has already lived through harder things.
“I feel I have achieved a lot considering where I come from. I never thought I would run 44 seconds in a race. I am content,” he says.
Zuze still wants the break that allows him to focus fully on athletics.
“I also dream of getting endorsements from brands like Adidas, Nike and Puma so I can fully focus on athletics. Until that happens, I will keep pushing,” he says.
That push now takes him back to Gaborone, the same city where his international journey began in 2022.
Only this time, he returns as a record breaker, part of a team that has dragged Zimbabwe back into the conversation.
