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Sikhumbuzo Moyo,Chronicle Writer
THE Hwange community has been plunged into mourning following the death of iconic figure, Charles Nyoni, popularly known as ‘Big Charlie’ whose gigantic stature mesmerised anyone seeing him for the first time.

Nyoni, who was set to celebrate his 60th birthday next month, died yesterday morning at St Patrick’s Hospital in Empumalanga.

He was admitted to the hospital on Thursday last week.

According to his sister and family spokesperson, Ms Susan Ndlovu, Big Charlie had a high blood pressure and was diabetic.

“He was rushed to hospital on Thursday night last week and has been in hospital since then. We were hopeful that he would make it but unfortunately he could not,” she said.

Ms Ndlovu said Big Charlie died yesterday and as a family they were very devastated following his death.

“We are still to meet as family to discuss funeral arrangements but mourners are gathered at his house at A 52 Lwendulu Village,” said Ms Ndlovu.

Towering at over 2,1m and weighing 300kgs, Nyoni was 41cm shorter than the tallest man in the world, Turkey’s Sultan Kosen. He wore a size 22 shoe.

Big Charlie used to have a big teapot for breakfast while for lunch or dinner, he required a meal that is normally eaten by three men. He could eat a full chicken in one sitting.

For many years, many residents in Hwange thought his surname was Gumbo because everyone called him Charles “Gumbo” unbeknown to them that it was in reference to his big feet.

Big Charlie was retrenched in 2012 by the Hwange Colliery Company where he worked as a builder and refuse collector. Legend has it that during his time at the Colliery, while his workmates would carry a 50kg bag of cement in pairs, Big Charlie would easily carry four 50kg bags at one go.

His condition is known as gigantic acromegaly, a rare disorder caused by high levels of growth hormone. People with the condition have a short lifespan owing to their susceptibility to infection and metabolic disorders.

“By the time I reached 11, I could not fit into a shoe size for children of my age. Initially, my mother bought me the type of shoes that are known as ‘Farmer Shoes’ but I quickly outgrew even the biggest size,” Nyoni said in one of his many interviews with the Zimpapers stable.

When he was 17, his mother sent him for tests at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare where a lot of tests were done but due to financial constraints, he was not able to complete them.

Big Charlie was raised by a single mother as his father was a victim of the Kamandama Mine Disaster that claimed the lives of 427 miners when an underground shaft collapsed at Hwange Colliery Mine.

Briefly employed by Hwange Colliery as a refuse collector, the company struggled to get him overalls and safety shoes.

Hwange Colliery Company Limited

At one time, the mine contracted a shoe-manufacturing company to produce shoes specifically for him. The shoe-manufacturing company later ran out of the special material that was used to produce the custom shoes.

Nyoni died without fulfilling his wish of personally meeting the First Lady, Amai Auxilia Mnangagwa as he had told our sister publication, Sunday News during an interview in 2020.

During the interview, Big Charlie said he was hopeful that if he was to meet the First Lady, his life and living conditions would change for the better.

“I would like to meet Amai venyika, Amai Mnangagwa so that she gets to see and appreciate my plight, I cannot walk. My car is down too. If I try to use public transport the drivers do not allow me,” he said then.

“They don’t want. I would be glad to meet her in person, Cde Victor Matemadanda visited me at one time and he said she would come and see me one day but I am still waiting for that visit,” Nyoni was quoted saying then.