Meet Tholiwe Walaza, the single mother who raised world class sprinter Bayanda Walaza
Bayanda Walaza's mother, Tholiwe, revealed in an interview with IOL Sport that her son Bayanda had to overcome his father’s tragic death by gunshot at the age of 10.
Tholiwe Walaza, an 18-year-old sprinter, received a hero's welcome upon her return to Curro Hazeldean High School in 2024, following her performance at the Paris Olympics. She was honored by a guard of honor, including South African flags, as she walked across the stage to receive the silver medal she had won. Minister of education Siviwe Gwarube attended the ceremony, which was marked by the school's rendition of the national anthem.
Tholiwe revealed that her son had experienced the tragic loss of his father to a gunshot when Walaza was just 10 years old. She explained that she sought counseling and support services to help her son recover from the emotional trauma. Walaza was part of the men's 4x100m relay team, which finished second behind Canada at the Paris Olympics.
Her performance brought immense pride to her family, including her mother, who witnessed the crowd's enthusiastic reception when Team SA returned to South Africa.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
