Zola Budd — The Runner, The Brenda Song, and the Taxi That Carries Her Name
- Zodwa Chantal Manitswana
- Oct 4
- 5 min read
There are athletes whose names become shorthand for something bigger than sport: speed, daring, controversy, or the quiet poetry of someone who just keeps going. Zola Budd is one of them. Born in Bloemfontein in 1966, Budd shot into the global spotlight as a barefoot teenage phenom in the early 1980s, at a time when sport itself was tangled up with politics.
Her story is part athletic feat, part cultural mirror: it shows how sport can unite and divide, how fame can be tender and brutal, and how a single name can live in stadium replays, township slang, and pop music all at once.
A Name That Already Spoke to South Africa — Zola
Before she ever ran a race, her very name carried the music of Africa.“Zola” is a name found in many Nguni languages; isiXhosa and isiZulu among them, and it means “quiet,” “calm,” or “peace.”
It’s a name often given with hopes for serenity and humility, a reminder to stay grounded even in the storm.
So when a young white girl from apartheid-era Bloemfontein appeared on the global stage carrying a proudly black African name, the irony and beauty of it were striking. In a country still divided by race and law, here was an athlete whose very name echoed unity, a whisper of peace running barefoot across the tracks of division.
Maybe that’s part of why South Africans of all colours couldn’t forget her. Her name sounded like home.
From Barefoot Prodigy to Global Stage
Zola Budd grew up running, often without shoes, and in 1984, at just 17 years old, she was breaking world records. Her light, effortless stride and barefoot style captured imaginations everywhere. But because apartheid South Africa was banned from international athletics,
Zola gained a British passport through her grandfather’s ancestry so she could compete on the world stage.
That decision, though pragmatic, placed her at the centre of both admiration and controversy.
The defining moment came at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, during the women’s 3,000-metre final. The race, billed as a showdown between Budd and America’s Mary Decker, turned tragic when the two collided, sending Decker to the ground. Budd continued but finished well off the medals. Though officials ruled it an accident, the world was divided. Some booed, others defended her, but everyone knew her name.
For a teenager from a small South African town, it was an unbearable weight yet, she handled it with quiet grace, living up to her name once again.
The Politics of a Running Shoe (or the Lack of One)
Zola’s story cannot be separated from its time. In the 1980s, sport and politics were inseparable. South Africa was isolated because of apartheid, and the few who managed to compete internationally were symbols of both protest and privilege.
Zola’s barefoot runs became a metaphor, a young girl stripped of artifice, simply running for the love of it, while the world debated whether she represented innocence or complicity. Years later, she would return to South Africa, rebuild her life away from the glare of controversy, and continue running, quietly, calmly, peacefully. Just as her name foretold.
A Name That Runs Beyond the Track — The Taxi Called “Zola Budd”
In South Africa, our people have a gift for language, for turning moments, people, and even pain into poetry. That’s how, in the black townships of Johannesburg and beyond, the name “Zola Budd” found new life.
The old Toyota Corolla, fast and dependable, became affectionately known as a Zola Budd. Why? Because it was quick, efficient, and knew how to move.Just like the runner herself.
Even today, you’ll hear it shouted across taxi ranks and street corners:
“Zola Budd eya Soweto!” — Zola Budd going to Soweto!
It’s a name that rolls off the tongue with pride, humour, and nostalgia, a small reminder of how sport and ordinary life intertwine in the South African imagination.
Brenda Fassie’s “Zola Budd” — Pop, Pride and Township Pulse
You can’t tell the story of Zola Budd without mentioning the music she inspired.The late Brenda Fassie, our beloved Queen of African Pop, released a song titled “Zola Budd.”
It was playful, energetic, and pure Brenda, celebrating the fast-paced, joyful chaos of township life. The lyrics, alive with humour and rhythm, turned “Zola Budd” into more than just a name, it became an anthem of speed, pride, and everyday survival.
To be in your “Zola Budd” meant to move, to hustle, to go.Through Fassie’s voice, the runner became a symbol of the people, swift, determined, and unstoppable.
Why Zola Budd’s Story Still Matters
There’s something deeply South African about Zola Budd’s journey. It holds contradiction, resilience, and rebirth, just like our country.
A barefoot girl from Bloemfontein becomes an international symbol of athletic grace.
A black African name meaning peace is carried by a white runner through a divided world.
A nation finds humour and hope in naming its fastest taxis after her.
A pop icon sings her into township folklore.
Zola’s life reminds us that our stories overlap, our symbols cross borders, and our shared humanity runs deeper than the lines that once divided us.
Her name — Zola, peace — lives on not only in record books, but in our streets, songs, and memories.
The Spirit of Zola Lives On
When we guide guests through Johannesburg, Braamfontein, and Soweto, we tell stories like this because they reveal the heart of who we are.They’re stories about people who ran, sometimes from pain, sometimes toward hope, but always forward.
Zola Budd’s journey, her name, and even the taxi that carries it remind us that South Africa is a place where language, music, and spirit move together.We honour her not just as a runner, but as a symbol of the enduring rhythm of this land.
Experience It Yourself: The Zola Budd Experience by BraamByBike
If this story moved you, come and feel it in motion.Join our Zola Budd Experience, a walking and cycling journey through Braamfontein, Johannesburg and Soweto, where sport, music and memory come alive.
Ride past the places where legends were made, hear Brenda Fassie’s “Zola Budd” echo through the streets, and learn how one name came to represent both peace and progress.
Includes: storytelling stops, local music, township culture, and the joy of the open road.
Bonus: A kota or local refreshment along the way, because every South African story deserves good food and laughter.
Book your Zola Budd Experience today and discover the heartbeat of a nation that still runs, barefoot, bold, and beautifully South African.
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