IPC mourns passing of pioneering South African athlete Zanele Situ

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is deeply saddened at the passing of Paralympic javelin champion Zanele Situ aged 52. 

Zanele was a Para sport pioneer: at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games she became the first black South African female athlete to win a Paralympic gold medal.  In addition to her debut Paralympic title in F52–54 javelin, she also won silver in the F51–54 discus.  

Zanele was recognised for her achievements in 2003 when she was awarded the Order of Ikhamanga (silver) for her outstanding contributions to sport by the Presidency of South Africa.  

At the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games she repeated her success in the javelin and was awarded by the IPC the Whang Youn Dai achievement award, which goes to athletes at a Paralympic Games who "best exemplify the spirit of the Games and inspire and excite the world". Zanele was the first male or female African athlete to receive the award. 

At the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games she was given the honour of being flag bearer for South Africa during the Opening Ceremony and did her country proud when she set a new lifetime personal best to win bronze in the javelin F54. At Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Zanele competed in her sixth Paralympics.  

IPC President Andrew Parsons said: “The condolences of all of us at the IPC are with Zanele’s family, friends, and colleagues at the South African Sports Confederation, Olympic and Paralympic Committee.  

“The Paralympic Movement is built on pioneers and Zanele certainly forged a path. Her achievements at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games paved the way for a generation of South African athletes. To be a multiple champion and to compete at six Paralympic Games takes a special kind of talent and dedication. We are very saddened at Zanele’s passing at such a young age, but she leaves a powerful legacy.”   

She was born Ntombizanele Situ on 19 January 1971 in the Eastern Cape town of Matatiele. At the age of 11 in 1982, Zanele’s parents took her to hospital after she was constantly fatigued and struggled to walk. She spent three years in the hospital during which the doctors said that the spinal cord damage was so severe that she would never walk again. 

She lost the use of both her legs but, determined not to be held back by the challenges posed by her disability, she took up athletics in 1985. In 1998, Situ made her debut at the IPC Athletics World Championships, held in Birmingham, England. She won gold in javelin and bronze in the discus throw.  

Well-deserved words

Leon Fleiser, Chef de Mission at those Tokyo Games, and General Manager – High Performance at the South African Sports Confederation, Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SASCOC), paid tribute to her. 

“The news that Zanele has passed on is heart-breaking. We have lost a true icon of not only South African sport, but the Paralympic world has lost a legend. I got to know her extremely well over the past 20 years or so and she was simply a delightful, kind person, who rose above unbelievable adversity to become the superstar that she was.  

“I saw her behind the scenes so many times, well away from the cameras and the attention she got. She was humble, patriotic and a mother to a nation. She was the flag-bearer for Team South Africa at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio and when she received the honour she was the proudest person on the planet. It meant a great deal to her. 

“But the number 1 priority in her life was always her daughter, Azamazi, who is now 17. ‘I am as proud of her as she is of me,’ Zanele, would say. As the years and Games went by, she would bring that motherly element to her Paralympic teammates. She was hugely popular, loved and respected,” Fleiser added. 

The president of South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), Barry Hendricks also paid tribute. “Our heartfelt condolences and sympathy go out to Zanele’s loved ones at this terrible time. She was a shining beacon of hope and inspiration to our sporting nation and brought immense honour to the country.  

“Zanele’s passing comes as a terrible shock and at such a young age. All her life she had battled adversity, born into apartheid South Africa in 1971, and rising above all odds to become a six-time Paralympic and multiple Paralympic medallist. She will be mourned, celebrated and never forgotten.” 

The CEO of SASCOC, Nozipho Jafta, also offered her condolences. “Zanele was a true South African hero. She was faced with adversity and hardship early in her life and overcame it, reaching the very pinnacle of Paralympic sport. She was a beacon of light, and hope, for all South Africans. I’m truly saddened by the news of her passing and wish her family and loved ones every source of strength and support at such a difficult time.”