They have been taunted and deemed no-hopers, but in the past two weeks Fort Hare’s bodybuilders have amassed so much silverware that even their coach is in a state of shock.
The team, many of whom had never competed in competitions, muscled their way to a total of nine medals at the USSA tournament and Eastern Cape Regional Championships.
Their haul included one gold, six silvers and two bronzes.
“I am actually shocked,” Fort Hare coach Chris Nguta, who only took the reins in April this year, exclaimed after the first-timers contributed handsomely to the team’s successes.
UFH’s unexpected run started at the University Sports South Africa event in Vanderbijlpark a fortnight ago.
There, backstage, former track athlete Buhle Nontswabu even had to contend with the jibes of his opponents in the U65kg division.
“To these experienced bodybuilders he just didn’t look the part,” Nguta said. “When they stood next to him, they thought he hadn’t trained.

Fort Hare silver medallist Buhle Nontswabu brushed aside his opponents’ jibes and let his flexing do the talking at the recent USSA championships. Photo: Full Stop Communications
“But he shocked them when he started posing on stage.”
Suffice to say, his silver medal silenced the sledgers and even prompted the eventual champion to admit that he had given him a proper run for his money.
At the same competition in North West, teammate Sikholiwe Dwayi won silver in the over 163cm beach bikini category.
Nguta never imagined that Nontswabu would repeat the dose at the provincial championships, which were open to allcomers, so he was dumbfounded when his charge placed second in the U70kg division.
Another member of his team, Smilo Mngweba, was a colossus in taking the gold medal in the men’s physique category at East London’s Cambridge Hall, while teammate Alivile Dasha stepped onto the second step of the same podium.
Esona Fanele and Hombakazi Gxaba added two more silvers – in the beach bikini and women’s wellness classes, respectively.
After the provincial competition, three members of the team were selected for the Eastern Cape squad that will do battle at the IFBB South African Championships in KwaZulu-Natal from August 1 to 3.
Smilo Mngweba and Alivile Dasha got the nod on the men’s side with Esona Fanele doing the same among the women.
Nguta had every reason to believe that he was onto something big at the university.
“Three athletes being selected to go to nationals? That’s not child’s play,” he said.
Prior to the USSAs, the Fort Hare mentor had placed a lot of emphasis on his team’s diets and his strategy paid off in a big way.
What impressed him most was that they had stuck to their eating plans after the national student competition ended, which he said proved their commitment to performing on the big stage.
There was no bigger stage than the nationals and Nguta had been candid with the trio about it being a “completely different league” where only the very best tasted success.
“I told them to go there for the experience as it will show them what is needed to win and motivate them.”