Zimbabwean Athlete Opens Up On His 14-year Stay In South Africa
South African-based Zimbabwean athlete Givemore Mudzinganyama, who has been in the neighbouring country for the past 14 years, says surviving as a migrant athlete with no job is tough.
Mudzinganyama told Al Jazeera that he had to learn some Xhosa, one of South Africa’s 11 official languages but still does not feel a sense of belonging after 14 years in the country.
The 32-year-old is currently on the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) which is set to expire in December 2023. He said:
I came in through a visitor’s visa and would only stay for a limited period.
Sometimes port authorities would let me in for three months and sometimes for a month.
When you have it and it needs renewal, an athlete is not considered as a skilled worker [so] every time you want to renew it, it’s a big challenge.
Mudzinganyama said he had to travel to the Beitbridge border post several times a year, exit and re-enter South Africa to comply with entry requirements. He said:
In those days they used to say you had to leave the country for seven days and then be granted entry again. In 2011, I got a proper visa. Now I’m waiting for the new visa.
He said when xenophobic attacks flared up in South Africa, he was scared he would become a victim. Said Mudzinganyama:
I don’t feel like I belong here. It’s satisfying but it’s not home. When I have [permanent] residency, I could buy a house and stay for as long as I want … [but] at the end of the day, you know home is best.
He, however, said being a resident of South Africa has had its advantages, especially considering that there is an abundance of competition, well-planned in advance.
Mudzinganyama moved from Cape Town to Johannesburg, South Africa’s commercial capital, in November 2020.
In Jo’burg, he started training with a coach who provided him with both food and accommodation along with a number of social runners he trained. He said:
From there, I started winning small races. We had money to eat and for other things.
In April 2022, Mudzinganyama won the Seshego Marathon, a 50km (31-mile) race held in South Africa’s Limpopo province.
This February, he won the Kazungula Marathon, a 42km (26-mile) marathon in Botswana in February.
Two months later, he won Cape Town’s prestigious Two Oceans Marathon, earning him 300 000 South African rands (US$16 000) in prize money.
More: Pindula News
