The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube Sports Correspondent
HIGHLANDERS FC’s Heritage Tour to visit the team founder’s grave in Grahamstown, South Africa has started receiving responses with about 20 people registering to embark on the historic trip. The visit to Rhodes Njube Khumalo’s grave in the Eastern Cape town is intended to kick start the year-long celebrations of the 90 years milestone the club is commemorating this year.
Luke Mnkandla, the chairman of the Highlanders 90 years Commemorations Committee says the numbers and enquiries have been encouraging and urged those who still wanted to be part of the trip to come forward. Although they had extended the deadline beyond 10 February, Mnkandla said the bookings were likely to close by Wednesday.
“The numbers are encouraging and the enquiries have been many. Unfortunately, I cannot give an exact figure because I was out of town yesterday but we have just more than 20 who have booked for the trip. However, we are looking forward to bigger numbers. We want a busload of people for the trip because it is very important in our celebrations’’ said Mnkandla.
“We believe we have to honour our founding father and visit his grave while also making this an educational trip as we learn about the club’s history,” he added.
The fee for the trip has been set at $440. The Heritage Tour will take five days with the main event being held on Saturday 20 February in Grahamstown’s Luvuyo Community Hall. The travelling party will partake in various cultural activities as they honour the club’s founding father.
According to the tour itinerary the $440 covers the return trip from Bulawayo to Grahamstown, two nights’ accommodation in Port Elizabeth and meals. Mnkandla said the group will leave on 18 February for Johannesburg by bus and board a flight to Port Elizabeth the following day where they will put up for the night before heading to Grahamstown on Saturday morning.
Mnkandla said plans to involve South African football officials were at an advanced stage. Kings and Chiefs in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province are also expected to grace the event, so will a huge number of Highlanders supporters based in South Africa.
Highlanders were formed in 1926 by Rhodes, his younger brother Albert and several friends as they sought to kill boredom and create a regular source of entertainment. The team was initially called Lions Football Club until 1936 when it was renamed Matabeleland Highlanders Football Club. The name Matabeleland was dropped in 1975. Rhodes was the first chairman but returned to South Africa after the formation of the club. Several activities are lined up for Zimbabwe’s oldest football club with an official launch ceremony scheduled for 28 February at Barbourfields Stadium.
