HOW SILAS NDLOVU TRANSFORMED BOSSO

07 Feb, 2016 - 00:02 0 Views
HOW SILAS NDLOVU TRANSFORMED BOSSO Silas Ndlovu

The Sunday News

Silas Ndlovu

Silas Ndlovu

SILAS Ndlovu (SN) may not have ranked at the same level with Ernest “Maphepha” Sibanda as a player but both share the same distinction of having led the club to cup glory as manager and chairman.

Ndlovu was manager of the club from 1972 to 1977 and returned in 1989 to guide the club through one of its successful periods on the pitch and boardroom.

On the other hand Sibanda managed the club from 1998 to 2005 before taking the reigns as chairman in his decade laden with silverware.

Sunday News’ Lovemore Dube (LD) visited Ndlovu, a farmer in Manningdale, Bulawayo since 1994 to get an appreciation about a bit of the club’s 90-year-old history and how he managed to transform the club to a brand of note. He also speaks about his time as a player at Dynamos and how tribalism reared its ugly face in the game in the 1960s and 1970s.

LD: Mdala, tell us about how you felt when some of your senior players decided to break ranks with the club to establish Olympics, a club that even wanted to use the team’s name and colours in the Rhodesia National Football League in 1977?

SN: It was a heartbreak for me as the club’s coach and manager. It really hit me hard as I never imagined that a team we had built so painstakingly could disintegrate just like that because of the lure of money. That was a fantastic team nicknamed the Destruction Squad because of its tenacity on the pitch.

LD: What was the motivating factor for the boys to leave and did you as management seek to cover ranks with the players over their grievances?

SN: Having taken over the club towards the end of 1971, there were a number of things I introduced at the club like allowances. We tried as much as was possible to please the players, pay them allowances. We came up with a model where players were paid in a manner that allowed us breathing space in so far as other club obligations like development and growth were concerned. We could not channel all we had to players’ bonuses as there had to be Highlanders tomorrow. During those days we used to travel in Zwambila’s lorries to matches to cut costs. People like Ndumiso Gumede and Nehemiah Malemane would pick a number of players in Harare and take them to their homes.

The boys would meet for meals, as a club we could not afford hotel accomodation. Only those players that were home grown like Lawrence Phiri, Douglas Mloyi, Builder Nyaruwata, Billy Sibanda and Tennyson, British’s elder brother stayed behind.

LD: Having lost match winners Stanley Nyika, Chutika Tembo, Isaac Mafaro, Ananias Dube and Itai Chieza among a galaxy of first team stars, what was your message to those that stayed behind and what became your plan of action?

SN: I had to console them, build a sense of belonging and move forward. We started recruiting other players like Yonah Malunga.

LD: Could there have been hidden motives behind the formation of Olympics?

SN: Yes, certainly. People with links to Zimbabwe Saints were behind that to thwart our rise as a force in Zimbabwe football. They used money to entice players and create discord in our camp.

LD: So the end of the 1976 season had another heartbreak for you, the league title lost to bitter rivals Dynamos.

SN: Dynamos were handed the league title on a silver platter. It rained cats and dogs in Bulawayo the whole week.

John Madzima was in the UK, on Sunday Peter Nemapare who was Madzima’s deputy in the Rhodesia National Football League who had flown from South Africa, inspected the pitch with us and Bulawayo City Council and concurred Barbourfields could not host the match. To our utter surprise Dynamos who were informed and did not catch the flight to Bulawayo, were awarded the match on a walkover decision.

LD: Why Ndlovu?

SN: There already was simmering tension with all clubs saying Dynamos were being favoured by the system. We led them by a point and a draw would have been sufficient for us to win the national league title, the first in that format since 1972 after the previous three were regional championships. I was accused of influencing BCC over the pitch and they lied that we did not want to play because Majuta Mpofu was out through injury which was not true. There never was a hearing and we lost the title to Dynamos leading to some clubs sympathising with us and we went on to form the South Zone Soccer League.

LD: How did you do that?

SN: Many clubs both in the RNFL and lower leagues sympathised with us. Zimbabwe Saints could not come to the South Zone League in solidarity with us because they were also benefitting from favours from RFNL. I knew from Fifa Statutes that there was nothing to stop rebel leagues from playing with each other so we engaged the European League. Fifa recognised the Football Association of Rhodesia run by John Kerr and Father Davis, the Rhodesia Football Association under which RFNL was not recognised. So some clubs went with us to Division One and we had clubs like Black Horrors, Bulawayo Rockets and Black Chiefs on board. Another thing Saints was not united so coming up with a position was difficult. So Kerr and company were supportive of our move and we used their football franchise.

LD: How did you get to leading South Zone seeing you had a good post at Highlanders?

SN: It was unanimous by the club that I should be general manager of the League and I then sought an engagement with South Africans who were in a similar position with us — that of segregation in sport. I went there and met people from Swallows (Moroka), Kaizer Moutang and both White and Black Leagues to talk about unification. I said with a united approach we could solicit Fifa to re-admit us as segregation and unjust policies were political and not in sport.

There was a unification match between Lusitanos (European champions) and Moroka Swallows and I remember Gary Bailey later to star for Manchester United played in one of our organised matches. We had Germinston Callies touring Zimbabwe and established contacts for more matches leaving the maligned Madzima administration eager to work with us as they saw our rising influence.

LD: At the height of the South Zone Soccer League several players moved to South Africa through your influence.

How come none from Highlanders moved?

SN: Most wanted to play for Highlanders but we knew they would not be released by their clubs whose officials wanted Highlanders out of the game. Highlanders was already playing South African clubs and touring the neighbouring country because of my relations with Kaizer, Pirates’ Daniel Didi and Swallows. Shadreck Ngwenya, Onias Musana, Maxwell Tshuma, Matthew Mwale and Douglas Maneto moved to Swallows. Hey, Highlanders supporters would have killed me if I took their players to South Africa.

LD: I am told hostilities between Saints and Highlanders heightened because of players that ended up at your neighbours after you had signed them . . .

SN: Yes, Tendai Chieza, a legend in his own right was supposed to join us with George and Itai from Mhangura but he was diverted to Saints in 1973. The same happened to Chita Antonio and John Nyumbu whom I had brought from Gweru and I suspect Saints people used a tribal card.

LD: What role did you play in the formation of Zifa?

SN: I was part of the normalisation committee which had Advocate Kennedy Sibanda and Morrison Sifelani, we paved the way for Zifa with the formation of the National Professional Soccer League in 1979 the fore runner to the national league in 1980.

LD: But who is Silas Ndlovu?

SN: I was born in Esigodini and went to Dadaya Mission. I was a beneficiary of a Bulawayo City Council education bursary, and I played almost every position at Highlanders — who would drive to fetch me from school to play for the club. I moved to Harare at the time Dynamos were formed and played for them.

LD: That must have been a time when there were hostilities between Ndebele and Shona following the split from Zapu to form Zanu, how was it like playing for DeMbare as a Ndebele?

SN: There had been an agreement that a Dynamos player who moves to Bulawayo would play for Highlanders and vice versa. At training all was normal and the team would be announced on Thursday. Morrison Sifelani was part of the team but mostly in the reserves, come match day senior players would announce a new team and more often than not I would find myself out. It was so infuriating that at some stage I hit one player called Dick.

LD: Who are some of the players you recall from your Dynamos era?

SN: Josiah Akende, Jimmy Finch, Alland Hlatshwayo, Freddy Mukwesha, Jairos Nkumba and Bernard Marriot were some of the players. I put pressure on the club, Dynamos was formed by players and they had a say so I influenced them to allow Mkwesha to join De Bragga in 1965.

LD: What was your interest in Mkwesha’s move?

SN: I said to the club because the boy did not have good education, he must be allowed to leave, to live on football.

LD: How long were you with Dynamos?

SN: In 1965 because of Unilateral Declaration of Independence some whites left and I was made a postal training officer. That meant travelling a lot around the country so I stopped playing. I would once in a while.

LD: How did you return to Highlanders?

SN: I was transferred to Bulawayo in 1968 and started playing once in a while but was subsequently made postmaster at Lupane so there was no time to play. I returned towards end of 1971 and helped the club win seven points.

LD: In what capacity?

SN: I was kind of caretaker having taken over from Luirgi Gigi and Chris Mhlanga and helped convince the club to change a lot of things, one of them making me British type of football manager in charge of welfare and technical aspects and reducing the executive from 15 to five.

LD: Why?

SN: It was bloated. One executive member would come with his muthi. One would say his would make strikers see a snake instead of the goalkeeper while another would say if applied by the goalkeeper, forwards would see strange things. I said to them if the muthi works why don’t you smear it and play instead?

LD: How did you fare in 1972?

SN: We won promotion back to the national league with the same side which had been relegated in 1971.

LD: What was the catalyst to the turning point 1973’s unprecedented success at national level?

SN: In 1972 we managed to do well in national competitions reaching semi-finals. There was self-belief among the players. Another thing I said to management was let me be responsible for the result, team selection and identification. I will engage a player regardless of ethnicity. I had seen that work wonders at Dynamos and other Harare clubs. I told them I would get players who would bring results whether they were Ndebele or not?

LD: Who were your major acquisitions then?

SN: Isaac Mafaro and Stanley Nyika from Sables, Peter Zimuto, Itai and George Chieza from Mhangura and along the way I was to identify a 16-year-old Bruce Grobbelaar. Others that came along were Martin Kennedy, Chutika Tembo, Tymon Mabaleka, Peter Bhebhe and Cavin Duberly, Boet Van Ays to form the Destruction Squad that dominated from 1973 to 1976 when we were robbed of the national title.

LD: Quite interesting . . .

SN: I learnt a lot about coaching at Dynamos. Prior to my term the team did not train with modern trends of physical preparation, skill, technique and tactics. I introduced knew things and turned the very same team that was relegated with just seven points in 1972 to Chibuku Trophy and regional league winners in 1973.

LD: How long did the sun shine for you guys?

SN: We won so many medals from 1973 to 1975 including three consecutive regional league titles and were runners-up in the Castle Cup. In 1973 in the national league we were beaten 3-0 at Luveve Stadium by a Metal Box side I had never seen and we were to win 2-0 at Rufaro to lose on aggregate. It was the same in 1974 and 1975 but we were such a unit to cause teams goose pumps.

LD: After the South Zone demise you went quiet only to resurface in 1989 at Highlanders taking over from Josiah Dube as chairman . . .

SN: On the strength of my performance with the club and South Zone Soccer League the late Mackenzie Sibanda and Chief Douglas Mkhwananzi spearheaded my return and we engaged Roy Barreto and went on to win the league title.

The club was saddled with debts and property about to be auctioned to service a Z$260 000 debt so I asked for an overdraft during the time of Washingston Bushe and Maivisire as Zimbank managers. I made it a point that all revenue would go into our Zimbank account and opened accounts for players there.

We managed to pay school fees to promising junior players and promote some to the first team, your Peter Ndlovu and company. In 1990 we won the league and cup double — the first by the club.

LD: Despite such a powerful resume in the game any involvement at national level?

SN: I worked with several national team coaches, got some training in the UK with Sifelani. Reinhard Fabisch also tapped from my experience and hence he shared the same vision with me of building a team around the biggest football name then Peter Ndlovu and others who could subscribe into the star player’s game. The Dream Team was built around players who understood Peter on the field and was a near success. I did the same at Highlanders.

LD: Bosso is 90 years old this year, what would be your advise to chairman Peter Dube and colleagues.

SN: They should invest in their juniors. These mercenaries that come to the club have no Bosso at heart, revive the Highlanders Sports Association and make the clubhouse abuzz with activity and it will generate revenue. People must pull in the same direction and avoid being in camps. I am worried about this privatisation, it has wreaked havoc at clubs like Bulawayo Wanderers and Zimbabwe Saints.

LD: Thank you baba, I will return next week. Are you content however, with what you achieved at Highlanders?

SN: Oh yes absolutely. If not for the Madzima and Olympics fiasco, Highlanders could have been a dominant force without any interruption. You are welcome.

Next week Silas Ndlovu will give us a player by player analysis of his stars and Sunday News is appealing for individual photos of the 1971-1977 stars.

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