The Sunday News
Phineas Mukwazo, Sports Editor
THE usually sleepy area of Cowdray Park known as DRC came to life at least for three days when hundreds of mourners thronged the home of the late Zesa employee and prominent Highlanders’ supporter Bongani Ndlovu.
Ndlovu died on Sunday and was buried on Wednesday at West Park Cemetery in Bulawayo.
The 30-year-old Ndlovu succumbed to injuries sustained in a car mishap in May along the Zvishavane-Mbalabala road near Filabusi which saw him being hospitalised in the ICU since then. He lost control of a sports car that he had just imported from the United Kingdom.
He was on his way to Bulawayo from Mandava Stadium in Zvishavane where he had watched his team battle to a controversial two-all draw with FC Platinum on 30 May.
Following the accident in which he was the only occupant of the car who was injured, Ndlovu was first admitted to the ICU at the private Mater Dei Hospital, before being transferred to Mpilo Central Hospital three weeks ago before passing on on Sunday morning.
The match itself was marred by acts of violence with the two sets of supporters turning the match into a missile throwing affair. The disturbances spilled to the end of the match, leaving scores of Bosso fans injured.
At his home on Wednesday hundreds of mourners jostled to view his body, a development that took most of the time at the gathering that had started at 8am. And as the funeral cortege left his home in Cowdray Park, the sight of more than 100 vehicles snaking they way out of the sprawled suburb provided an unusual spectacle perhaps never witnessed in the area.
Once the mourners arrived at West Park Cemetery, the Highlanders supporters led by Ayanda Mkandla, one of the supporters who were injured at the end of the match in Zvishavane, and was rumoured to have died, virtually took over proceedings through popular Highlanders songs, vuvuzelas and dance.
Speaking at West Park Cemetery Highlanders chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede paid tribute to Ndlovu for having chosen to be part of a national institution called Highlanders. He told the mourners about the violence that had manifested itself before and after the Zvishavane match wondering whether anger might have led to Ndlovu losing control of the car.
“We, however, as the Highlanders family say no to violence. We pay homage to those who visited Bongani when he was in hospital, those who have thronged his home to pay their respects, and those who are here to say farewell to him at his final resting place. It is sad that his death comes at a time when we are playing FC Platinum in Zvishavane on Sunday (in an EasyCall quarter-final match),’’ said Gumede, adding that Highlanders was the pride of Bulawayo, hence it always aroused emotions.
Quoting the Bible, Gumede said people were born as anyone, but after they were born they make their own choices and Ndlovu had chosen Highlanders. Ndlovu, who was employed by Zesa as an inspector, is survived by his wife and a week-old child.
