Tapiwa Mafura signs a deal with the Toyota Cheetahs Rugby Union

Tapiwa Lloyd Mafura is definitely flying the Ermelo flag high as he recently signed a deal to play for the Toyota Cheetahs Rugby Union.

Tapiwa is a force on the rugby field and it shows with his many achievements in the sport.

An Ermelo High School Alumni, he played for their first rugby team which shone the spotlight on him leading him to be selected to play for the Mpumalanga Pumas Academy A-team and playing in the Craven Week 7’s tournament.

His star just kept on shining throughout his career as he played for the Varsity team at the North West University (NWU) which led to him signing for two years with the Cheetahs.

Born and bred in the Hwange, Zimbabwe, Tapiwa’s family moved to South Africa in 2005.

The Mafura family settled and laid down their roots in Ermelo where Tapiwa enrolled at the Ermelo Christian School to complete his primary schooling years.

Tapiwa is a product of Ermelo High School having begun at the school from grade 8 and completing his matric in 2014.

His story is not one having grown up in the sport but that of discovering it in grade 8 at the school.

“I began playing rugby very late, in grade 8, and I did not know much about rugby at that stage, however, I was very much interested in the sport,” Tapiwa said.

With guidance from his teammates and coach, Tapiwa took to the sport like a duck in water, excelling at every turn.

His prowess on the field earned him a spot on the school’s first rugby team which garnered him massive attention and led him to provincial colours, playing for the Mpumalanga Pumas Academy A-team.

Even though there were many highs, there came the lows when he missed out in playing for the Craven Week, as it is every high school boy’s dream.

However, he was not deterred and eventually played in in the Craven Week’s 7’s competition. Tapiwa attended NWU, pursuing an Industrial Psychology and Labour Relations qualification which he completed last year.

During his time at the institute, Tapiwa played for the varsity team, earning himself a winners medal as the team won the Varsity Cup in 2016 and lost in the finals to Stellenbosch University last year.

His efforts at Varsity Cup Level were noted and he received an award for the Varsity Cup Backline Player of the Year last year from his university.

It also garnered him massive attention which eventually led to the deal with the Free State rugby union, which he signed after the Varsity Cup season ended last year in April.

“However, I only joined the team in November because I wanted to finish my degree first before focusing all my attention on playing.”

His day-to-day life involves a rigorous training and health regime during the working days of the week to ensure the ultimate performance when facing stiff competition from teams in South Africa, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales.

“Wednesday is my off day and I get to chill and play my playstation.”

However, Tapiwa’s favourite day of the week is game day, which usually falls on a Friday or Saturday.

A similarity to Tapiwa, who is also not the biggest player in his position.

His dream is to play for the South African national rugby team, the Springboks, in the next five years and if that does not materialise, he hopes for a chance to play for his native country, Zimbabwe.

Rugby fans will get to see him playing for the Cheetahs in the Currie Cup later in the year after the Pro 14 season ends.