NDUNA, YOU WON’T BE FORGOTTEN!

30 Aug, 2015 - 06:08 0 Views

The Sunday News

Cosmas Tsano Zulu
DURING our time at Highlanders we had five superstars, Madinda Ndlovu, Douglas Mloyi, Peter Nkomo, Mercedes Sibanda and Willard Khumalo and probably had anyone asked Nkomo or Sibanda to name their hero they might as well have said Willard “Nduna” Khumalo. The man had magic guidance for Highlanders having come from the murky depths of junior football to win numerous titles and his exploits are well chronicled to justify the great tag accorded him by his peers. Nduna’s dedication to and love of football was something to behold. I was lucky enough to witness his qualities at close range. I think if someone could have asked Willard if a certain match was a matter of life and death, he would probably say it is far more serious than that and the reason I say so is because there was a time when he had a swollen ankle and we were playing on Saturday and Sunday but instead of sitting the games out, he opted to take pain killer injections and continue with the game.

Humour and dedication went hand in hand with Willard. He was a larger than life figure, a tough guy who used to keep colleagues and anyone else who cared to listen enthralled and at times in stitches with his vast array of tales, explanations and descriptions of players and clubs officials. Certainly I will never forget the year I came to know the man who was to play such a major part in my football life, it was 1983, when I was assistant coach to Bobby Clark, the great Scottish coach, who had the courage to field more than seven junior players in the Highlanders first team. We struggled in the first half of the season. I remember when we played Rio Tinto in an away game we lost 2-0, we used to share the bus with supporters then and after the game one of our great supporters the late “Chukus” umntakamama rushed to me and Clark and shouted: “Tsano and lawe mlungu this team is not for one body it’s for all body, I will burn all those cones you put on the ground.”

All this was in SiNdebele language he went on to say all our players spent most of their time drinking beer in shebeens and the next Monday Clark came to my home and asked me to go and show him this hotel called “shebeen.” I laughed to pieces and Bobby was amazed when I told him shebeens are homemade bars and are scattered in the suburbs. Clark, however, told me we were going to have the last laugh with these “great” players, which we did winning eleven of our last games in the 1983 season.
This was first step of our journey to win trophies for the next 13.

In camp with Willard Khumalo
He liked to tease other players by wrestling or chasing after them when it came to food. One other time we were camping at Holiday Inn, Clark wanted the players to have light meals and the boys were served quarter chicken and chips for lunch after the meal, Willard came to my room crying, “How do you expect us to win the game when you have given us such little food”, I then went to Clark and told him the boys have been eating isitshwala for the past 18 years before the game and asked they be served the staple food 3-4 hours before the game. The man loved his food. He loved jokes and had what I can term sibling rivalry with Madinda as they were always at loggerheads whether one used a tea cup of the other or angry that someone’s team lost a game of head tennis which we did as part of warm up.

Willard would also approach me talking about Madinda and he would say “Tsano undoda lo wants to go to church at St Patrick’s Catholic Church when we are in camp, if you allow him to go I will also go out of camp. But at the end of the game you could hear him say “Shacky good crosses today”, after Madinda put those crosses for Tobias Mudyambanje to score.

Willard imitating me when I was shouting at everyone in camp to go and bath and get ready for breakfast before leaving for the airport for Harare games “Ma California! Ma California lets go…..”

The qualities of the midfielder general
Football is full of characters — The cheeky person who boosts team morale and can be the difference between defeat and victory, agony and glory, Willard had this.

  • He kept the team morale sky high with his jokes.
  • He concentrated much of his effort on taking the unforced errors out of his game
  • He could pass the ball with instep as with the side of the foot with ease
  • He could pass the ball to disguise the intentions making it difficult for defenders to predict the pass
  • He could execute a swerve pass to bend the ball round an opponent
  • He had the correct attitude when it came to shooting long booming shots at goals

Courage is when you seek advice, Willard used to come to me, driving all the way from Beitbridge where he used to coach and ask for advice.
One thing about Willard Mashinkila Khumalo is that he won support from the crowd no matter what side he was playing for. Even on destructive missions during his heyday with Highlanders the opposition fans would rally behind his moves.

Willard Nduna Khumalo was one of the greatest footballers produced in the country in the last 30 years. Knowing him for the past 44 years was a blessing.
I rest my case “Nduna” Rest in eternal peace. Until we meet again. — Transcribed by Ngqwele Dube

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