The Sunday News
Phineas Mukwazo, Sports Editor
WHEN someone does an injustice to you, that person may feel satisfied, but you will feel more satisfaction if you prove such a detractor wrong.
In fact when someone coined the saying “he who laughs last laughs the longest,” might have had people such as Highlanders’ development coach Dumaza Dube in mind.
Almost four years ago, Dube then rated as one of the most qualified junior football coaches in Zimbabwe, was controversially shown the exit door by the then Themba Ndlela executive.
The executive then said they wanted to engage someone on a permanent basis.
“I feel they (Highlanders) are not professional in the way they dealt with me, especially considering the results that I brought in with the juniors. I think they had their own motives for removing me and saying they want someone full time was just a ploy to get rid of me because I don’t think they will be able to get junior players who will be playing full time, so why then do they want a coach who is full time,’’ said Dube then.
The year was 2011, and the Highlanders juniors, under the tutelage of Dube had won the Under-14, and Under-18 leagues with the Under-16 side coming a credible second.
Dube was then a holder of three Fifa grassroots coaching certificates, Level 1-4 certificates, a Caf C coaching licence, and was studying for a post-graduate diploma in Sports Science. He was working as a teacher responsible for football development in Bulawayo Province.
However, when the Peter Dube-led executive came in they corrected the “wrongs’’ of their predecessors by re-engaging Dube.
Dube appears to be repaying the Highlanders’ family for investing their faith in him.
His Bosso Under-18 side, which was playing in the Bulawayo Junior League’s Serie A this year, have made history by becoming the first team to score a record 115 goals on their way to claiming the championship without losing a single match.
The feat is encouraging for a club with a rich history of producing some of the finest talent to grace not only our local shores, but internationally.
The record has been confirmed by Zifa Bulawayo Province board member, Mkhululi Mthunzi .
The side’s chief striker McCarthy Dube scored a record haul of 36 goals, a feat that has never been achieved in our top flight league for a long time. Definitely this one is the boy for the future.
Linkman and team captain Donnet Fosho weighed in with 21 goals, right winger Rowan Sibanda finished on 20 while forward Brighton Ncube found the net 17 times.
Highlanders finished the season on 78 points while second placed Bantu Rovers closed their account on 65. Bosso ended the season with a goal difference of 95, scored 115 goals while only conceding 20 throughout the campaign.
Bosso’s unyielding defence was made up of former senior team player Bekithemba “Super” Ndlovu’s son Nkosana, the former Bosso’s captain’s younger brother, Mbongeni, Alexius Jubane, and Samson Sakala. Deron, the son of former goalkeepers’ coach, Tembo Chuma, was in between the posts for the campaign.
Dube singled out Bukhosi Ncube and Fosho as being the architects of the campaign and praised the former’s skills saying he was an astute midfielder with great ball winning and distribution skills while the latter was immensely talented.
Dube said another key ingredient to their success was being able to keep the whole squad intact for the past four years as most of the players were part of the squad that won the championship as Under-14s in 2011.
“Keeping the whole squad together for the past four years has also worked to our advantage but the boys are talented and the executive should quickly make moves to secure the boys and ensure they move up the ladder and are retained within the club structures.
“Some people have been saying the club’s junior policy is dead but that is not true, while players have been coming through from the lower structures efforts were not being made to retain them at the higher level hence you find that most teams have one or two players who graduated from Bosso juniors.”
In order to retain the talent at its disposal, Dumaza advised the club that there was a need to set up an academy.
Encouragingly he said they had completed the relevant applications forms for an academy and a Zifa official assured them that they could pay the requisite $1 000 fee in installments to that effect.
Dumaza said he would recommend six players to the senior team next year while other players would move to the development side that has been promoted to Division One.
Dube also coached the triumphant class of 2011 that included the likes of Knox Mutizwa, Teenage Hadebe, Lawrence Mhlanga and Trevor Ndlovu, that won the league without a loss.
Mthunzi also advised Highlanders to retain its talent.
“I am sure Highlanders have learnt their lesson and should make moves to retain the players within their system instead of grooming players only to be forced to loan from other clubs for the senior team. Since the creation of Series A, the league has been competitive and this year Highlanders was in a class of its own,’’ said.
“We first saw their exploits early in the year when they won the Emakhandeni Legends tourney in April without losing a match and we thought it was a fluke but they went on to win the league without a loss,” added Mthunzi.
The Bosso under-14 side won their league ahead of Bantu Rovers while the under-16 took position three on 65 points, same as second placed Mpumelelo who had a superior goal difference while Bantu took the crown with 77 points.
The Bosso Under-19 developmental side also took position two in the Bulawayo Province Division Two, gaining promotion into the Southern Region Division One League.
And Dube must be enjoying his place back in the sun.
