February 28, 2012: Following rumours about the health of Springbok and Sharks prop Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira, the Sharks have issued the following statement:
“As a national rugby icon, Sharks and Springbok loosehead prop Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira attracts a lot of attention. As such, a visit to a Cape Town hospital has led to rumours about his current state of health and The Sharks (Pty) Ltd would like to outline the facts.
The statement continued: “According to Sharks Team Doctor Ewoudt van der Linde, Mtawarira suffers from mild heart palpitations, which is a very common condition prevalent in a large number of the general public. As such, it is in no way rugby-related but is simply a general medical condition.”
According to the press release, Dr Van der Linde: “It is not serious, not life threatening and will definitely not have an influence on his rugby career in any way. It does not, and will not affect his ability nor the longevity of his career.”
Mtawarira has undergone treatment in Cape Town at a hospital which offers the only medical unit in South Africa where they can carry out the particular procedure (which is very new) to try to cure his palpitations.
Rugby-loving public
This medical information related to his current condition is given out on the basis of accuracy and to ensure the rugby-loving public that it is not considered serious. Although Mtawarira is a Shark and Springbok rugby player and is constantly in the spotlight, The Sharks have requested that people respect his privacy and patient confidentiality.
“This was just something small that was bugging me, but it is all resolved and nothing serious to worry about at all,” explains Mtawarira. “I am home and doing my rehab at The Sharks Medical Centre for my ankle, which is going well and is all on track.” – Ridge Correspondent