The Sunday News
Lovemore Dube
HIS star shone at an early stage and when he rose to legendary status, it was expected of former Wankie FC and Notwane midfielder Fabian Zulu.
He had few peers in the art of dribbling growing up in Hwange in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Football enjoyed a cult status bringing the community together at weekends with some big crowds at primary school matches because of its pool factor.
Zulu’s Lwendulu Primary School clash with St Ignatius, two schools within 200m of each other was a great attraction. It divided the sleepy suburb of Number One as the community came in numbers to watch great football from talented kids.
From 1979 as juniors Zulu played with another great talent from the school Stanley Nkomo and Fanyana Mguni. Nkomo played in both the Super League and Premier Soccer League while Mguni played for Division One side Zesa.
Across the divide at St Ignatius was Misheck Chubhu Sibanda and Vitalis Kamocha who will represent Zimbabwe in the Perth Cup next month. Both went on to play Premiership football with Kamocha playing for the home side Hwange while Sibanda played for Tongogara in the 1990s.
But the great duel was probably when Zulu, then a skinny teenager had his school up against Mabinga Primary School. The school had Andrew Banda who played for ZPC Hwange, Hwange and Railstars, a pint-sized midfield maestro whose dribbling is still talked about in the Southern Region.
That would be pure brilliant talent on display, something to savour for fans. Zulu was already in the Hwange Chibuku
Under-14 squad at Grade Seven, a team coached by former players Posani Sibanda and Amos Rendo.
“They were our idols, they inspired us as youngsters because they were able players in their own right who had achieved for the club and country.
“They encouraged me to take the game seriously because they had seen the talent in me. I was also impressed by the talent of the legendary David “Dididi” Khumalo on the right wing. He was such a fine dribbler and passer of the ball that I modelled my play around his,” said Zulu.
Those who watched both will bear testimony that Zulu was a fine player who could hardly be cautioned for rough play. Both were brilliant on the ball though years later in Zulu’s career he developed into a midfielder and with it came the defensive responsibilities that in his youth he had relegated to others.
It was natural that Zulu would either go to boarding schools like Gloag, John Tallack, Dombodema or Tennyson Hlabangana who had a rich history of football playing boys from Hwange.
But his family opted for Wankie Secondary School where his star took a bit of a hazy glow in the first two years because of the big boys. The school had Labani Ngoma, Venancio Ncube, Mebelo Njekwa, Sailot Kaunda and George Singonge and breaking into the first time was not so easy.
He eventually had his time as a senior pupil at the school guiding the team to district finals of a number of tournaments. He recalls one incident where he was locked up at Marist Brothers School, Dete lockers.
“Because some of the teachers at the school knew me from primary school, they tasked boys with showing me around Marist since a good number were from Hwange. While touring I was suddenly locked up in the locker room and released after the game which we lost,” said Zulu on Friday from his Gaborone, Botswana base.
By the time he completed his O-levels he was already a very sought after player joining legendary Lwendulu-side Rufaro Rovers which produced over 30 players for Hwange since its inception in 1972.
“I joined Rufaro Rovers, they were still a number of Hwange FC players like Johannes Kazambiya, Philemon Nyathi, Stanley Nkomo, Lucky Rufaro Mwale, and Kenneth Ngulube.
“Later I played with Antony Nakamba, father to Warriors midfielder Marvellous, and Isaac Sakhi Tshuma at Giant Killers. I was then poached by Zesa Hwange who were playing in the Zifa Southern Region,” said Zulu.
His exploits could not go unnoticed as in 1990, Paul Moyo, a father like figure to Zulu came knocking.
“They had been following my development from primary school and they thought it was the right time for me to play in the first team. It was great teaming up with some guys I had been with at primary and secondary school like Antony Sibanda and Sakhi. I was welcomed well and my stock as a player began to rise and a year later we won the Heroes Cup and the right to represent the country in the African Winners Cup. I recall coming from the bench to score the winner against Caps United,” said Zulu.
He described competition at the club and Super League as having been high.
“Remember Mercedes Sibanda, Willard Khumalo, Rahman Gumbo, Agent Sawu, Sherperd Muradzikwa, Madinda Ndlovu, Hamid Dhana, Joel Shambo, Stanley Ndunduma, Lazarus Mwambopo were on top of their game and a good number of youngsters Silver Chigwenje, Peter Ndlovu, Benjamin Nkonjera, Isaac Riyano, Tavaka Gumbo and Memory Mucherahowa were getting to grips with their game,” said Zulu.
Then at the beginning of 1993 he got his break to play outside the country.
“My game had continued to rise and I had been called up to the Dream Team. I remember one time on the eve of a game I was supposed to start, Willard Khumalo, Rahman Gumbo and Rambo found me watching television in my hotel room. They then played wrestling on me and left me so weak that I could not be available for selection,” said Zulu with a chuckle.
Was it deliberate since Willard and Rahman were competing for a midfield slot with you?
“Kkkkkkkkkkkk, I would not think so, but maybe. They were my friends and brothers and to say there was malice in their intentions I would not. I was very close to them with Nkonjera and Peter in that set up,” said Zulu.
A friendly match had been organised for Hwange in Francistown in early 1993 and Zulu impressed Notwane who were managed by Highlanders legend Lawrence Phiri.
He impressed the Batswanas and he moved to Gaborone. The following year after Paul Moyo had been sacked as Hwange gaffer, Zulu persuaded Notwane to bring Moyo on board if they wanted results.
“He quickly turned around the club’s fortunes with Phiri and we won more than 21 trophies of which four were league titles.
“We became the first Batswana team to go as far as the last 16 in African club continental football under Paul Moyo — a great coach,” said Zulu.
Zulu won dozens of individual awards and at one time Botswana wanted him to change his citizenship so that he could play for the country.
He was to get other call ups in the 2000s but describes the Dream Team days as having been the best of his career.
“We were one unit under Reinhard Fabisch. There was great team spirit and I remember Alois Bunjira coming straight from school to join us in camp. We respected each other and worked so hard and the results were there with companies coming on board to support the team,” said Zulu.
He said the future of the game lies in more investment in development.
“Look, at primary school I had guys of my generation playing — Mbunge Khumalo, Vitalis Kamocha, Isaac Tshuma, Andrew Banda, Lowani Nyathi, Kenneth Ngulube, Stanley Nkomo, Chabuka Mwale, Mindo Nyoni, Antony Sibanda, London Khumalo and others who went as far as Division One, the development structures were there. So much was invested in juniors so much that as we grew up there was a platform which was the local league where we could be monitored up to the reserve team of the Super League side.
“We need to see more action at junior level and more talk should be development because that is where the future lies,” said the 47-year-old father of two.
He said Hwange because of the local league which he feels has to be revived, did not have to spend thousands buying players from outside the Colliery.
“The infrastructure is there and a football crazy community get the 30 000 people playing in a league in the town like in the past and there will be results. We were there and those ahead of us will bear testimony that Hwange can be a powerhouse through developing its own players through a local vibrant league,” said Zulu.
The former midfielder believes the Warriors who were drawn with Algeria, Senegal and Tunisia can do better at the Afcon finals in Gabon next year if the selection is on merit and there are good preparations.
Zulu who retired in 2007 and now manages fallen giants Notwane, works as a marketing consultant for a pharmaceuticals company and in his spare time he does commentary work for television and radio.
Zulu is content with what he achieved in football. He enjoys spending time with wife Gladys and children Marylene Fabiola and Joel Prince.
