Antony Chawagarira
Bulawayo -THE death of three Highlanders Football Club executive members and a loyal supporter has united Zimbabwe’s football fraternity, with rival supporters setting aside club loyalties to mourn one of the darkest moments in the history of local football.
Highlanders chairman Retired Colonel Kenneth Mhlophe, vice-chairman Fiso Siziba, executive committee member responsible for finance Nkani Khoza and devoted supporter Mbalenhle Sibanda died in a road traffic accident on Thursday while returning from the club’s Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match against ZPC Kariba.
On Monday, thousands of mourners filled Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo for a joint funeral service attended by Government officials, football administrators, players and supporters from across the country. Fans clad in the colours of Highlanders, Dynamos, CAPS United, FC Platinum and other clubs stood side by side in an emotional farewell, demonstrating that football rivalry fades in the face of tragedy.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa accorded the four victims State-assisted funerals in recognition of their contribution to Zimbabwean football and the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
Following the joint service, Siziba and Khoza were buried at Lady Stanley Cemetery, while Mhlophe was scheduled to receive military rites before his burial on Tuesday. Sibanda was to be laid to rest at her rural home in Filabusi, Insiza District.
The tragedy has sparked an unprecedented show of solidarity across Zimbabwe’s football community, with clubs, supporters and administrators putting fierce rivalries aside to comfort the bereaved families and honour the legacy of the Bosso quartet.
For many gathered at Barbourfields Stadium, the message was clear: football may divide supporters by club colours, but grief reminds everyone that humanity is greater than rivalry. In the face of loss, chants fall silent, jerseys become insignificant and compassion becomes the common badge worn by the entire football family.
The loss of Khoza was particularly painful for Jacob Chikarakara and Prosper Makovere who belonged to the St Joseph’s Guild with him at the Basilicca where the Highlanders executive committee member of finance worshipped. Khoza, they said, was an affable and key member of the Guild who was always willing to help.
“I will always remember the tribute he paid to my late father Stephen Chkarakara who was also a member of the Guild. His words were comforting to my family and uBaba Khoza will remain a father figure to me always. We often joked about football, him his beloved Bosso, and I my beloved Dynamos. As if he knew he was going, he recently gave me a Highlanders jersey which I will cherish forever. Uhambe kuhle Umdhala wethu!” said Chikarakara.
Makovere was equally at a loss of words of his mentor and fellow parishioner. “He was a devoted member of the Guild and church who led from the front. He donated beasts at most church functions and I will always remember him as a selfless conforming father figure who knew no tribe,” said an equally devastated Makovere.
