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The Sunday Mail,

24 February 1980

ISAAC Matende may not be the most travelled football fan in the country, but he can certainly claim to use up the most calories each week as he hand-pedals his outdated wheelchair to the soccer stadium.

And he’s tops of the fuel conservation charts, for he uses sheer muscle power to transport himself the nine kilometres from his Highfield home to Rufaro Stadium to watch his favourite team Caps United, in action.

A polio victim from the age of nine, Isaac has been mobile since 1956 when the chair was specially imported for him from London by the Cyrene Mission.

“I know it looks a bit old-fashioned now,” he says, “but I have looked after it myself all these years.”

Closer inspection reveals carefully welded metal joints at strategic points in the sturdy old frame, but the moving parts though worn and shiny are all in good working order.

A trip to Rufaro means an early start, for it is mostly uphill and takes all of two hours.

“If I push it on the return trip I can do it in an hour or less.”

A family man — Isaac is married with four daughters and two sons — and he makes his way as a watchmaker at a shopping centre in Old Highfield, not far from his home.

But he looks forward to Sundays when he can watch his hero, super star Shacky Tauro in action.

Although Isaac was robbed of his chance when he was a boy, he loves football, and gets a special place on the sidelines where he can be as close to the stars as possible.

And he deserves it.

LESSONS FOR TODAY

The fact that Zimbabwe in 2010 set up a National Paralympic Committee in charge of the participation of disabled persons in Paralympic Games, is an indicator that Government and other stakeholders wanted to see that disabled people freely participate in all forms of sporting activities, just like their able bodied counterparts, including being cheer leaders.

As far back as 1980, Matende was able to exercise this free will, as he cycled his wheelchair from Highfield high density suburb to Rufaro Stadium, to watch his favourite team Caps United play.

To date, most of our infrastructures — private and public transport and buildings — remain non-user-friendly for disabled people. Matende could not use the bus, a common challenge for the disabled today. We hope that these issues were highlighted by the team that condemned our sporting facilities.

Despite the free will, a large number of disabled persons are forced to watch sporting events on television, that is if they have access to the gadgets.

The inclusivity of sporting events is something able-bodied people take for granted. Policies could be in place, but are not implemented because they get little financial support.

The disabled have as much right as anybody else, to watch their favourite sports at the pitch. Last year, British disability rights campaigner Vicki Dennis wrote an eye-opening piece in The Guardian complaining: “I love cheering my team live, but being a disabled football fan can be a nightmare.” He added that for disabled supporters,  “its a reminder that there is still a long way to go towards making the sport inclusive.”