The Sunday News
THE history of Highlanders FC will have the names of the likes of Billy Sibanda etched in bold letters for his starring role when the team turned around in the early 1970s to a big football brand.
Prior to the 1973 Chibuku Trophy triumph, Bosso were relatively unknown and the best had been a semi-final appearance against Mhangura in 1972. They had gained infamity for refusing to join the national league at its birth in 1963 and were relegated in 1971 in their debut season when they finished the campaign with seven points.
So even their star players in the obscure ranks did not get the recognition they probably deserved because the focus in teams dominated by blacks was on Dynamos, Zimbabwe Saints then Mashonaland United, St Pauls Musami, Chibuku, Sables and Callies.
But the die was cast in 1968 when Tshilamoya decided to join the national league starting off in Division Two. Playing the likes of Rex and Cobras then contributed to the hype associated with derbies with venues like Cold Storage and Matshobana quite popular.
With the decision to join the Division Two League made, this called for the ditching of Highlanders’ franchise in the Bulawayo African Football Association (Bafa) which was kept in trust as Matabeleland High City.
But the club because of its big following and city noted rivalry with Mashonaland United, Bulawayo Sables, BSAP and City Pirates, there was need for results to be delivered as a matter of urgency. Highlanders whose successes up to then had included the Stanley and Livingstone Cup in 1955-57 and the Townshend and Butcher Trophy, needed players to drive its large following’s quest for glory.
Sibanda later nicknamed Billy The Kid was to be among those heroes behind Bosso’s promotion to the national league in 1970.
“We were sceptical about national league. Abadala even insisted that we keep our Bafa franchise. The going was tough in Division Two.
“It was a wholly new experience. As players we sat down and agreed that playing at that level was for the good of the game and our careers,” said Sibanda.
He said when they got promoted they had players like Barry Daka, Kenneth Spax Ngulube, Ananias Dube and Edward Dzowa. The quest to play against the best players in the land was what pushed them to the limit.
Growing up in Mzilikazi and going to Lobengula Primary School and Mzilikazi High School where he was to meet fellow legends Daka, Lawrence Phiri and Paul “Staff Nurse” Tsumbe, Sibanda admired Adolf Mutume who played rightback for Arcadia.
“I had a childhood hero in the game in him. He was a good player,” said Sibanda.
Sibanda said the club found the going very tough in the national league in 1971 where they were relegated ending the season with seven points.
“Eish it appeared a new ball game together and we found the going tough. One of my worst experiences in my career was a 7-1 whacking by Mhangura. It must have been our very first game and it was away. Mhangura were powered by the Chieza brothers Itai and Tendai, Lovemore Nyabeze, their stylish goalkeeper Booker Muchenu and Philemon Phiri.
“So bad was our campaign that we ended the season with seven points and were relegated. Most of the points came towards the end of the year when Silas Ndlovu became our coach and manager. Prior to that, we had Chris Mhlanga who also by virtue of having played at a higher level for Harare clubs was a bit knowledgeable. We had in our Division
Two days been coached by senior players like Edward Dzowa and Edward Dlamini,” said The Kid.
In 1972 Bosso came out strong with players developing self-belief and determination. They won promotion back to the top league and crowning that year with a hearty display that landed them in the semi-finals of the Castle Cup.
“We now had self-belief. We were determined to get back to the top and prove to the nation that we were as good. Our passionate fans rallied behind us and pushed us all the way,” said Sibanda.
With Ndlovu having changed a number of things in the way the club was run, a couple of additions bringing in Itai Chieza, Tymon Mabaleka, James Nxumalo, Cavin Duberley and Boet Van Ays, the die was cast their way.
Highlanders won the regional league and were runners-up. In actual fact the league championship could have been theirs up to 1976 when they were cheated of the title by the Rhodesia National Football League. They had won the regional title thrice on the road and the 1974 Rhodesia Breweries National Football League play-off.
But the history of the club would be incomplete without the 1973 season.
“We had not won big up to that time. We went into the Chibuku Trophy Cup final in Harare to face Mhangura. We were underdogs and had been written off as our opponents were just star-studded and well motivated.
“On the day we were just too good. At some stage the wind appeared to change to where we were scoring and that may have been the second time that it happened leading to fans coining the nickname Amahlolanyama. We beat Mhangura 3-0 and that was the emergence of Bosso as a force to reckon with in local football,” said Sibanda.
He said at the end of the year they were runners-up in the national league play-off.
“Silas brought about a lot of positives for the game. He went to the market and brought stars. Bosso’s cornerstone has always been juniors so the players he brought on board were not average players but top quality to bolster the side,” said Sibanda.
Among the talented arrivals were Chutika Tembo, Stanley Nyika, Isaac Mafaro, Bruce Grobbelaar with Daka returning from Hwange to strengthen the 1974 team.
Sibanda who had joined the club in 1965 straight from school at the recommendation of club secretary Hosea Khumalo, spoke of the 1976 split which led to the formation of Olympics.
He said he had been approached to join Olympics but opted not to leave.
“After 11 years with the club and because of the passionate fans and loyalty I decided not to go. Some players and officials behind Olympics had approached me,” said Sibanda.
Sibanda’s career did not reach envisaged heights because of his work commitments with National Railways of Zimbabwe whom he joined in 1971.
“It was difficult for me to get time to train at times. In some instances I would be thrown into the team without training even after being on duty for as long as 12 hours,” said the former train driver.
He said the coaches had insisted on him playing despite having told the club that it was no longer viable to do so in 1971 because of work commitments. This led him to putting extra hours of work on his own.
He lived and played under those circumstances until 1982 when younger players began to be introduced. Then he was 34 and working in Dete for the compulsory climatic assignment with NRZ.
“At times they would come to collect me by car or fly me to matches in Harare. At 34 I thought I had done my service to the game and club and it was time for new blood to take over. I was happy with all I won with Bosso and grateful to having been considered to manage the club at some stage a decade ago,” said the soft-spoken Sibanda.
Sibanda played as a utility player though he had started off as the old Number 8. His start shone at Lobengula Primary School where he was captain for the juniors and intermediates.
He conceded that at both primary and secondary school level he had found schools from the Mpopoma sports district a big challenge.
“Mpopoma had schools from Plumtree which included Cyrene who had one Chunga and Lovemore, very good players of our time.
“At Bafa we also had some good clubs like Eastern Brothers, Gazaland and Mashonaland FC with some of the top players of the time Matthew Marume, Jown Walker Chipukula, Dusty King, Vhiri. Football was exciting and quite competitive.”
He said the likes of Tymon Mabaleka, Majuta Mpofu and Tommy Masuku of his generation of players, could have gone places had they played in these times of player agents and managers. He said they were good talent and Sibanda regards George Shaya as one of the most difficult players to face.
“He was full of trickery and was a gem on the field. The pacy Oliver Kateya and Chita Antonio of Metal Box were some of the most challenging opponents to face on the field,” said the former Bosso star.
He said he had enjoyed playing with Benjie Mpofu, Peter Bhebhe, Mabaleka, Nxumalos, Grobbelaar, Majuta, Mafaro, Nyika, Phiri, Lawrence Phiri, Tsumbe, Chris Mhlanga, Nehemiah Dube, Ananias Dube and Dzowa in his first generation at Bosso and the rising brigade of legendary Madinda Ndlovu, Peter Nkomo, Nhamo Shambira, Doubt Sithole, Mark Watson and the new boys who came on board after 1980.
He is content with what the club achieved in his time as a player which netted two Chibuku Trophy wins, Heroes Cup, one national league title and one South Zone crown.
To his 90-year-old club Sibanda says the future lies in investing heavily in the juniors.
