Manikum Munien, aged 94 and residing in Verulam, was featured in the book 'Unsung Heroes'—Volume Four. He is one of 51 individuals recognized in this recently published book for his invaluable contributions to the fields of education, sports, and community development over many decades.
Munien, the fifth of nine children, was born on November 26, 1931, on Groenberg farm in Inanda. His father arrived from Chennai, India, in South Africa at the age of 17 as a hired worker. He worked at a tea factory on the Inanda tea plantation, roasting leaves.
During this period, his father entered into a marriage agreement with Muniamah Chinapen, Munien's mother, who was from Pietermaritzburg. After completing the labor contract, they rented 10 acres of land on Groenberg farm, where they grew vegetables, maize, and pineapples. The mother sold vegetables at the Verulam market, and maize at the Durban market.
Munien recalls a happy childhood on the farm when he and his brothers watered the plants every morning before school. They also cared for two donkeys. He also experienced a locust infestation in 1940, when the children helped ward off insects from the harvest using empty cans.
At the age of six, Munien began attending a missionary school run by a woman named Mrs. O'Ward. The school was located in a two-room building on Groenberg farm. Later, the school moved to a bungalow, where classes from first to sixth grade began to be taught.
In the early 1940s, the first school in Inanda, the government Indian school Moonsamy, was built, and Munien studied there from first to sixth grade. A special moment for him was the visit of the British royal family in 1947, when the fifth-grade class went to the famous Kerry fountain to see the parade.
He continued his studies at the Tongat Indian boys' school, where he obtained his matriculation certificate after completing grades seven through twelve. During his studies, Munien actively participated in sports, serving as captain of the football and athletics teams, and playing cricket. He also excelled academically, particularly in English, and enjoyed reading and writing poetry.
Due to financial constraints, he could not continue his education and decided to find work. He decided to walk from the farm to Durban and ended up at the Greenwood Park police station, where he expressed a desire to become a policeman. However, his parents rejected this idea. Soon, a friend informed him about a teaching vacancy at a private school in Gandhi settlement in Inanda.
Despite lacking qualifications, he tried and succeeded. The school was managed by Mahatma Gandhi's son, Manilal, and his daughter-in-law, Sushila. Munien taught all subjects, even working a shift in a printing press for the publication of 'Indian Opinion' to earn extra income.
In 1953, he started working at the newly opened Kasturba Gandhi Primary School in Inanda, becoming one of the first five employees. He enjoyed teaching, especially geography, and brought lessons to life by telling children about the Great Lakes of North America.
In 1955, he began teaching in the second grade at New Glasgow Primary School. Difficulties with daily travel from the farm to the school were resolved through an acquaintance with the school director in Verulam, who contacted the Department of Education and arranged for him a place at St. Xavier's Primary School in Oxford, Verulam. He worked at this school for 30 years, holding positions as a teacher and sports coach, organizing football camps, and chairing the Natal Primary Schools Athletics Association.
Later, in 1988, he became an art and library specialist at Woodview Primary School, and in 1990, he was promoted to Head of Senior Phase at Palmview Primary School in Phoenix, where he also taught mathematics. Munien retired in 1991.
Throughout his life, he remained active in sports. He played for various teams, including the Redcliff Football Club, which won five trophies in one season. In the late 1950s, he founded and led the Palm Rangers Football Club in Inanda.
Furthermore, he played cricket in Inanda and Verulam as a batsman and wicketkeeper, and was selected as one of three Indians for the Natal shadow rugby team for non-Europeans. After retirement, he joined the Falcons Athletic Club and participated in three ultra-marathons and marathons. He also ran a 20-kilometer charity race in India to raise awareness about tuberculosis, taking first place in the over-70 category.
In the 1950s, he became a volunteer at the Regional Committee of the Friends of the Sick Association (Fosa) in Verulam and gradually rose to become its chairman. In the community, he was known as 'Mr. Fosa'. He visited various educational institutions, businesses, and organizations to place donation boxes or give lectures on tuberculosis.
He also participated in the work of the then Natal Blind and Deaf Society—the Verulam Regional Committee, the Verulam Children's Welfare Society, and the Verulam Day Care and Elderly Care Centre. He was the first chairman, and his late wife was the first qualified nurse at the elderly care centre.
As a follower of Hare Krishna, Munien actively participated in the 'Food for Life' project for over 40 years, an initiative of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, traveling by boat across India to distribute food.
Manikum married Satibaa in December 1962; she passed away in 2019. They have three children: Rajendran Munien, 59, a teacher; Dayabaran Munien, 58, a retired director; and Parijata Munien, 53, who manages the Gita Nagari eco-farm in Pennsylvania. He has two daughters-in-law, Shalini Munien and Jacqui Munien, and a son-in-law, Dhruva Chunillal. They have two grandchildren: Tasmai, 31, and Leesian, 29.
Munien and his wife loved to travel and visited countries in Africa and around the world. He continues to travel, and South India remains one of his favorite places.
Currently, he enjoys the sun, socializing, time with family, and inspiring others through his social media posts. He shares personal experiences and motivational messages on his online pages, and has learned to edit videos and add music, hoping to inspire and enrich the lives of others.
FIFA has announced that the winners of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will receive championship rings for the first time in the history of FIFA tournaments. This initiative is inspired by the traditions of leading North American sports leagues.
Final versions of the rings will be manufactured later and individually tailored for each recipient. FIFA specified that each piece will be part of a limited series of 2026 numbered editions, with 1996 units being sold as an official licensed product of the organization.
The design of these rings, which will serve as an additional award alongside the gold medals, features an image of the World Cup Trophy on one side and personalized elements identifying the winning national team on the other.
This is the first instance where a tournament organized by FIFA presents championship rings, thereby bringing the World Cup closer to the established tradition of North American sports such as American football, basketball, baseball, and ice hockey.
