Charles Nyoni, widely known as “Big Charlie” in Hwange for his imposing stature, has passed away. He was 59 years old and was set to celebrate his 60th birthday next month. Nyoni died on Tuesday morning at St Patrick’s Hospital in Mpumalanga.

Speaking to the Chronicle, his sister and family spokesperson, Susan Ndlovu, said that Big Charlie had been admitted to the hospital last Thursday. He had been battling high blood pressure and diabetes. She said:

He was rushed to hospital on Thursday night last week and has been in hospital since then. We were hopeful that he would make it but unfortunately, he could not.

We are still to meet as a family to discuss funeral arrangements but mourners are gathered at his house at A 52 Lwendulu Village.

Big Charlie stood over 2.1 metres tall and weighed 300 kilograms. He was just 41 centimetres shorter than the world’s tallest man, Sultan Kosen from Turkey, and wore a size 22 shoe.

Big Charlie was known for his huge appetite. For breakfast, he would drink from a large teapot, and for lunch or dinner, he ate enough for three people. He could even finish a whole chicken in one sitting.

For many years, the people of Hwange mistakenly called him Charles “Gumbo” because of his big feet, thinking it was part of his name.

In 2012, Big Charlie was retrenched from his job at the Hwange Colliery Company, where he worked as a builder and refuse collector.

While working there, he was known for his strength — he could carry four 50kg bags of cement at once, while his colleagues would carry just one or two.

Big Charlie suffered from a rare condition called gigantic acromegaly, caused by high levels of growth hormone.

This condition often leads to a shorter life expectancy due to increased vulnerability to infections and other health issues.

In one of his many interviews with Zimpapers publications, Big Charlie said that by the time he was 11, his feet had grown so large that he could no longer fit into shoes made for children his age. He said:

Initially, my mother bought me the type of shoes that are known as ‘Farmer Shoes’ but I quickly outgrew even the biggest size.

When Big Charlie was 17, his mother took him to Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare for tests to understand his condition. Although several tests were done, they couldn’t complete them due to financial difficulties.

Big Charlie was raised by his mother after his father died in the Kamandama Mine Disaster, where 427 miners lost their lives when an underground shaft at Hwange Colliery collapsed.

He briefly worked as a refuse collector at Hwange Colliery, but the company struggled to find him the right overalls and safety shoes due to his size.

At one point, the mine had to hire a shoe manufacturer to make custom shoes just for him.