Tendai Mtawarira-The Unstoppable “Beast”

by Tapfuma Machakaire

A muscular giant, 1.88 metres tall, weighs 120 kilogrammes, and keeps a long beard – Tendai “The Beast” Mtawarira is the ideal rugby player.

In Hollywood movie style, synonymous with the antics of the Incredible Hulk, Mtawarira has, on several occasions, demonstrated enormous strength proving why he earned the nickname, The Beast.

In one match, The Beast stunned players and fans by lifting and holding team-mate, Anton Bresler, preventing him from falling backwards on his head.

He was playing as a forward for South African side, The Sharks, in the Super 15 clash against The Stormers.

In another match, Mtawarira showed off a new way to reach a ball that was too high for him to grab, when he threw his teammate over his head to intercept the high ball.

Mtawarira belongs to an exclusive group of 77 elite rugby players from around the world who have played 100 or more international games.

He is a son of Zimbabwe who, due to factors that have affected the growth of the rugby game in his country, was forced to relocate to South Africa. But what is the story behind the poor development of the game in Zimbabwe and the rise and rise of the Beast as a rugby star?

Prior to the attainment of independence in 1980, the game of rugby which in Zimbabwe, is ranked third in popularity after soccer and cricket, was a white-dominated sport. The sport was largely concentrated in expensive schools, such as Prince Edward and Peterhouse, making the sport inaccessible to children in the ordinary schools across the country.

Lack of a professional setup for rugby also affected the development of the game with talented players seeking opportunities elsewhere. This is how Mtawarira and others ended up playing for clubs in countries like South Africa.

With 117 caps, Mtawarira is the seventeenth most capped international forward and the fifth most capped prop. He is also a 2019 Rugby World Cup Winner.

Tendai Mtawarira was born on 1 August 1985 in Harare where he did his high school education at Churchill. At the age of 15, while at Churchill, he was spotted by prominent rugby coach Joey Muwadzuri who invited him to join the Under 19 side at the National Schools Festival. Later that year, Muwadzuri invited him to be part of Cats and Dogs Rugby Academy Team that won the National Seniors 7’s tournament.

In 2008 he joined the Sharks, which is the representative team of the KwaZulu-Natal Rugby Union in South Africa.

In the same year, he became the second black Zimbabwean to play for the Springboks after Tonderai Chivhanga.This was after he had been cleared by the South African Rugby Union (SARU) on the directive of the then sports minister Makhenkesi Stofile.

In an interview with Aljazeera Mtawarira spoke about his struggle to acquire South African citizenship.

“It was really hard for me coming from Zimbabwe. I wasn’t well-resourced, and the possibility of not playing for the Springboks after the citizenship saga is one thing that took a toll on me.”

“If it wasn’t for a few people, especially Desmond Tutu, who came to my aid and helped me get my citizenship, I wouldn’t be here. So I’m really grateful to the Arch.”
Mtawarira made his debut with the Springboks against Wales on 14 June 2008. He would initially have limited game time before getting the opportunity to be a reserve during the test against the Wallabies in Perth. He made a significant impact and went on to be a part of the starting lineup for all the subsequent Tri-nations tests.

A highlight of Mtawarira’s career came in the first test of the British and Irish Lions tour in 2009. Scrumming against Phil Vickery, Mtawarira dominated his more experienced opponent, leading to Vickery being substituted after 45 minutes and he won the man-of-the-match award.

Mtawarira was named in the Springboks’ squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup which South Africa won when they defeated England in the final.

Mtawarira’s scrummaging in the final was described as destructive, and South Africa won many scrum penalties.

As well as his 117 Test matches, Mtawarira has played uncapped games for the Springboks against the Barbarians, (an invitational rugby team selected from talented players throughout the world). He has also played twice for the Barbarians.

With 160 caps, Mtawarira also holds the record for the most Super Rugby caps by a South African.

In May 2022, Mtawarira was appointed the UNICEF Regional Ambassador for Eastern and Southern Africa. The appointment followed Mtawarira’s travels with UNICEF to Mukuru, an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya where he spoke with young girls and boys about challenges with learning in the COVID-19 era. He is   passionate about improving education opportunities for vulnerable children.

In 2020, Mtawarira, who runs The Beast Foundation which supports children and youth through sport and education, collaborated with UNICEF to produce a video titled ‘Africa Strong’ to mark the Day of the African Child.

Mtawarira, who for fourteen years had been a shareholder in the fidelity security company, now runs his own security company Umlindi Security. He also sits on the board of the Sharks after being the longest serving member in the team.

He is pursuing a Master in Business Administration degree with Henley Business School.

Mtawarira plans to launch the Beast Wine Collection Company.

“I’m a big lover of wine and I want people to kind of have a taste of the beast and on what I’m all about through one collection.”

The Beast is married to Kuziva Makore Mtawarira with whom he has two children, a girl Talumba and a boy named Wangu.