Hosea Mudzingwa has spent three decades dangling daredevils over the roaring Zambezi River at Victoria Falls Bridge. The 52-year-old jump master keeps thrill-seekers alive during their terrifying plunges from 111 meters above the water. Kiwi Extreme operations manager Mudzingwa has watched over more than 60,000 jumps without a single fatality. His career began as a humble porter in 1992 when he simply guided groups to the bridge. The man quickly learned the ropes and earned promotion to junior jumper by 1995.
Fear grips Mudzingwa every time someone takes the leap because lives hang in the balance. He became the first black senior jumper at the company after safely managing 2,500 jumps by 1997. The job haunts him with nightmares about screaming customers plummeting toward certain death. One rescue mission nearly killed him when his rope jammed midair for 30 terrifying minutes. Blinding mist from the Falls made the ordeal even more nightmarish as he dangled helplessly above the churning river.
Celebrity jumpers have trusted Mudzingwa with their lives including Bear Grylls and Will Smith. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Steven Seagal also placed their faith in his steady hands during their bridge jumps. The operations manager trains new jump masters with strict discipline since becoming boss in 2006. Perfect ropes and double-checked harnesses remain his obsession because mistakes mean death. Weather conditions must be ideal before anyone takes the ultimate plunge under his watch.
Fear grips Mudzingwa every time someone takes the leap because lives hang in the balance. He became the first black senior jumper at the company after safely managing 2,500 jumps by 1997. The job haunts him with nightmares about screaming customers plummeting toward certain death. One rescue mission nearly killed him when his rope jammed midair for 30 terrifying minutes. Blinding mist from the Falls made the ordeal even more nightmarish as he dangled helplessly above the churning river.
Celebrity jumpers have trusted Mudzingwa with their lives including Bear Grylls and Will Smith. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Steven Seagal also placed their faith in his steady hands during their bridge jumps. The operations manager trains new jump masters with strict discipline since becoming boss in 2006. Perfect ropes and double-checked harnesses remain his obsession because mistakes mean death. Weather conditions must be ideal before anyone takes the ultimate plunge under his watch.
