Victor Mutanga, South Africa

BIOGRAPHY OF VICTOR MUTANGA- Olympic Truce Youth Peace Ambassador

Victor Mutanga  was born Victor Muntanga on the 13th of May 1986 in Victoria Falls, an academically and economically sleepy but culturally diverse border town located on the Zambezi basin. He is the last-born son of the late Cde. Andrew Sikajaya Muntanga, a former ZIPRA cadre and nationalist, the first national hero from this politically neglected part of the country. A liberation war hero, gallant fighter and revolutionalist who quit priesthood to pioneer politics amongst the marginalized Tonga people. Behind the successes and prominence of this highly esteemed personality is the wisdom and love of the woman whose simplicity can easily be taken for granted as her pearls of goodness are enveloped by the graceful routine of a normal housewife ;Victor’s mother Regina Muzamba.  

When he grew up Victor was a free spirited young man who had his own self-expression and would go to any length to manifest his uniqueness. It is unfortunate that the conventional schooling system could not foster and harness his special talents and he graduated with average grades and a reservoir of undiscovered potential. A chip off the old block, Victor is a resilient and self-motivated young man who is very passionate about development, that of himself and of his peers.  

Between 1992-1999, He attended primary school at Chinotimba Primary School, the oldest and most traditional school in the township .The schools are overpopulated with miserable teacher-student ratios of close to 1:40.In addition to political sabotage ,tribal segregation and poverty means that pupils in such unfortunate circumstances need more than the grace of God if ever they are to live a normal life in a society that deprives them of basic human rights .They need a strong role model to rise up among them and show them that it is possible .In spite of the Mighty Victoria Falls whose tourist facilities are an out of reach leisure that is too expensive for the locals to enjoy, there is little entertainment and close to zero life opportunities for young people who grow up in the streets of Chinotimba. The little attention by teachers whose teaching techniques are too obsolete for the changing needs of today’s youth mean that many young people graduate with little prospect of making it life. Hence the great migration by young Zimbabweans to South Africa in search of a favorable economic system that can present them with more fulfilling life opportunities.  

He graduated in 1999 to begin form 1 at Mosi-Oa-Tunya secondary school, the only secondary school in the town. He later transferred to Northlea High School in Bulawayo; the second Economic capital, to gain some exposure and an experience of life in a big city for the first time. Then he transferred to Binga High school where he was again immersed deep in the heart of the BaTonga civilization (District of origin).Tonga is Victor’s mother language spoken by the minority tribe that lives along the Zambezi River on the Zimbabwe-Zambia border. In Zimbabwe these people are living in a region that is politically suppressed and struggling at the bottom of the economic heap. Paradoxically , these people adapt to their hostile environment in an amazing  way .They speak , in addition to Tonga, Nambya and Nyanja , Shona , Ndebele and English. They are exposed to a multiplicity of cultures and are at home with ethnic diversity. Victor is one such person .He is a linguist, is streetwise in the real sense of the word and is thus socially intelligent .This background has equipped him with the personality traits that make him adaptive to any social make up no matter how hostile conditions on the ground may be. 

His brother Martin introduced him to Basketball because of his interest in the sport .He played for the Victoria Falls Panthers who groomed his talent and skill in the discipline and paved a way for bigger opportunities .He was selected to be coach-cum-player for Mosi-Oa-Tunya and represented his school at the Matabeleland North Province 2003-6, subsequently representing the junior team at the National Youth Games in 2004. Victor was selected into the Zimbabwe under 18 National Team in the same year (2004) and was offered the opportunity to attend World Wide Scholarship camp as a prospect (Harare 2004). As his career path progressed he signed a contract with SMWW Sports Agency in 2004. He also played for a Bulawayo based Zimbabwe’s all time second best League team Highlanders Basketball Club in 2005 (Semi Professional). He also represented the Bulawayo Polytechnic College at the College games in Harare (as the non-student – the coach liked his skill and height). When the basketball season was over, Victor found it fit to go to his hometown to give back what he had learnt. He taught these skills through Basketball to students from Mosi-Oa-Tunya High School. The sports department at the school assigned him to coach their players in preparation for the National Youth Games and three of his players made it into the Provincial Team. 

Victor began to search for more challenging opportunities and he went to Livingstone (Zambia) where he played for Busiku Basketball Club. In the year 2007 he played for the Francistown Flames Club in Botswana where he taught life skills and organized youth events. He followed his girlfriend to South Africa in February 2008 staying in Nomzamo, Strand in the Western Cape. He was a victim of the xenophobic attacks of South Africans on foreign nationals in 2008 and stayed at a refugee camp for a month – this was an eye opener, it is tough living in a Foreign Country. This was the third foreign country that Victor lived in and all the while it was not an easy thing to be a foreigner .It was a training ground for leadership. The love for development and Basketball kept him alive.  

He started working as a telesales executive for an IT company to make ends meet. He went for trials the same year for the Cape Peninsula University of Technology Men’s Team playing under the leadership of Coach Thierry Kita (Guest Coach for the Boston Celtics in the NBA), an Ambassador of the Ubuntu Principles and made it into the team. Regularly he volunteered at Hoops for Hope, an NGO which promotes sport as a vehicle for social and personal developments and also empowering children to become leaders with their communities and the World. Victor got a shoulder injury during the second game of the Western Cape Basketball Championship playing for the CPUT .They later won the championship. The injury came as an eye opener and it made him discover his other capabilities that will help him change other people’s lives. He worked himself up the ladder in the advertising industry, where he sells advertising space and sponsorships for business-to-business magazines, working on the following magazines; African Decisions, Pan African Parliament’s One Africa, One voice.  

Victor was nominated to represent South Africa and Zimbabwe at the UNESCO Olympic Youth Peace Ambassadors Training and Assistance Programme. The programme brought together youth from all around the world including conflict zones and areas suffering violence everyday to the London Olympics to highlight the 6 weeks of Global Truce that has been historically backed by all UN member countries to run from 25th July to 9th September 2012. Whilst in the UK the youth underwent a profound 10 day workshop programme training them as UNESCO Olympic youth peace ambassadors. After the Olympics they will continue the work of peace-making in their home communities and around the world in UNESCOs Youth Peace Ambassador Network, providing a lasting Olympic legacy of a global youth peace network continuing to live the Olympic Truce. 

His aspiration and passion to influence change on the African continent recently gave birth to “Afro Global Youth Exchange” a Pan African, youth-focused organization that will specialize in providing inter-cultural exchange programs for young social entrepreneurs and sports community leaders from Africa’s conflict areas. The organization’s goal is to foster a commitment to young people that will promote regional sovereignty, social consciousness, pro-social friendships, strong interpersonal skills, and reassert a sense of hope in the future.

Personal Title	Mr.
Firstname	Victor
Lastname	Mutanga
Job Title	President & Founder
Organisation	Afro Global Youth Exchange PTY LTD
Postal Address	90 Frere Rd, Ellis Park, Johannesburg South Africa
Phone Number	+27 11 037 1015
Mobile	+27 73 816 3123
Released	25/06/2014
Country	South Africa
Organization Type	NGOs, Partnerships, Networks, Projects
Topics	Human Rights & Labour Rights
Operational level	Global