Shelly Guni, Sports Reporter
MULTI-TALENTED sportsperson, Media Mafuta says the respect she has for her talent has seen her thus far.
The 37-year-old has won a number of titles in both volleyball and netball.
But she says she is not done yet.
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“I will retire at 45,” she told H-Metro
“I am still fit, maybe a career-ending injury is what will stop me, but I believe I still have the ability to play.
“To be where I am today and still be fit is because of the respect I have for my talent. I work so hard, I don’t abuse alcohol, I don’t take drugs and I stick to one partner at a time.”
The Harare City Volleyball team captain and ZDF Queens player is going on a two-pronged mission.
“There are many things that I need to prove to myself and one of them is to break the stereotypes that once you are over 35 you are considered very old.
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“I know what it means to netballers whose careers are cut short because of age.
“However, I still need to put in a lot of work in order for me to achieve what I want to achieve. But I’m ready for the challenge and I am ready to make sure I keep breaking the boundaries.”
While Harare City volleyball won gold last season, her netball team- ZDF- won bronze in the Rainbow Netball League.
“I am looking forward to win more titles with my teams both the volleyball and the netball team.
“We last won the title at ZDF in 2013 and ever since then we have been fighting for honours.”
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“At Harare City I have won a number of title including individual medals.”
Mafuta is a former national netball team player, who played for more than a decade.
She is also a national team volleyball player and recently participated at 2020 Tokyo Olympics beach volleyball qualifiers that were held in Maputo and Uganda respectively.
Mafuta, a Zimbabwe National Army officer was transferred to Bulawayo this year but she is however optimistic she will be back in Harare so that she can continue with her dream and playing until she finally retires.
“Since I have some coaching and refereeing certificates, I will continue in sport as a volleyball coach.”
– HMETRO
