Resounding send-off for Chingoka The late Paul Chingoka
The late Paul Chingoka

The late Paul Chingoka

Ellina Mhlanga, Harare Bureau
THE late former Tennis Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe Olympic Committee president Paul Chingoka was laid to rest yesterday at Warren Hills Cemetery in Harare with dignitaries from the local sporting fraternity describing him as an astute sports administrator.

Chingoka, who passed away last Friday, was given a resounding send-off yesterday with people from different walks of life braving the cold conditions to pay their last respects to the seasoned sports administrator.

Several speakers described his death as a huge loss for sport.

Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts, and Recreation permanent secretary, Prince Mupazviriwo, said Chingoka’s death came at a time when they were trying to tap into the experience of such personalities in their efforts to revive sport in the country.

“It’s a great loss. We are currently working hard to revive our sport and when I say revive our sport, we would want to get back to the old days when we used to be known as the country which performs very well in tennis.

“And you know the Black family did very well and that was the time when the late Paul Chingoka was the president of tennis.

“That just goes to show how versatile he was in terms of his leadership qualities.

“He did not just lead tennis, he also was part of Zimbabwe Olympic Committee and also at regional and continental level.

“So the loss is quite huge because we were tapping onto his experience, his knowledge. It’s a great loss to us when we are actually in the process of looking at how best can we revive various sporting disciplines,” said Mupazviriwo

Under Chingoka’s leadership, the Zimbabwean Davis Cup team scaled great heights as they were promoted into the World Group and played against some of the best teams in the world at the time.

He will be remembered for his developmental programmes that saw the rise of previously marginalised black players such as Genius Chidzikwe, Gwinyai Tongoona and Martin Dzuwa, who was among those that attended the burial.

The burial was also attended by Finance and Economic Development Minister, Patrick Chinamasa.

Tennis Zimbabwe convener of selectors, Tanya Chinamo, described the late Chingoka as a humble person.

“He was president of Tennis Zimbabwe at our most successful period, especially in the Davis Cup and during the period of Wayne and Byron.

“During that time, obviously, he was involved in a lot of development.

“I think that was a period when we saw a lot of coaches being deployed to various provinces and churning out quite a lot of talent during that time, especially in the 1990s.

“He will be remembered fondly by a lot of coaches and a lot of other administrators who have followed his footsteps.

“Paul was just a humble guy, nice guy. He was a gentleman,” said Chinamo.

Chingoka’s sister, Patricia Kambarami, was devasted by her brother’s passing and said he was their pillar of strength.

“It is a huge loss to the family. He is somebody we relied on, somebody who was always there for us all. We shared many memories with Paul and…you feel lost without Paul.

“I cannot believe that we are going to miss that hearty laugh of Paul’s, that smile,” said Kambarami.

Former Sports and Recreation Commission director-general Charles Nhemachena, who worked closely with the late Chingoka during his tenure as ZOC president, said his contribution goes beyond tennis.

“It is deeply saddening because Paul’s contribution was really immense. He was an excellent sports administrator and he nurtured a lot of tennis players as well as sports administrators in general.

“So his contribution was not only in tennis but in other sport disciplines as well when he ascended to the helm of the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee.’’

Former Dynamos coach David Mandigora was among the mourners that attended yesterday’s burial and said he had lost a brother in Chingoka having known each other from childhood.

Other dignitaries who attended the burial include Sports Commission chairman Edward Siwela and acting director-general Joseph Muchechetere as well as board member, Titus Zvomuya.

Chingoka is survived by his wife Abigail, two children Patrick and Gwinyai.

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