The Sunday News
Lovemore Dube
IN the yesteryear, anyone donning the number nine jersey was expected to be big, pacy, powerful and a great scorer of goals in football through the foot or head. The centre forward position carried a lot of expectation on the bearer.
Among the fiery names from the 1970s era is former Black Aces, Rhobrew/Natbrew and Umtali United forward Wonder Chisetera who set the stage with a goal harvest of 60 goals one short of top goal scorer Oliver Kateya.
This was in 1975 and the goals included both cup and league. It is understandably so because in that particular season competition in the league was at regional level where some of the teams did not measure up to great sides like Arcadia, Dynamos, Rio Tinto, Chibuku Shumba and Sables’ standards.
Wonderman as fans called him for his excellent performances in front of goal, is still spoke of in high regard by fellow legends with Clever Hunda, a former Black Aces and Dynamos star describing him as having been a very good target man.
“Wonder was a top target man. He was very good in the box, his positioning made things easier for us to find him as he made runs to always create space for us in the box as midfielders,” said Hunda who played with Chisetera at Black Aces.
Hunda said Chisetera knew what to do at the right moment and once given half a chance he never disappointed.
“He would really punish you with his partner Charles Gwazo upfront with whom he had a telepathic understanding. Charles was a classy player too, very good on the ball, legends like Gibson Homela can testify.
“Outside football, Chisetera was a very respectful man, very quiet. He was a team player too,” said Hunda.
Chisetera like all greats before the mid 1980s era, came from the community club set up.
Born on 19 September 1954 in Mutare, Chisetera found himself playing street football. He enhanced his growth by joining a community club at one of Sakubva’s sections where his brothers Phibion and Sydney also starred.
He benefitted from exposure where as a community select they would travel to Gweru and play teams from that city in a number of sporting disciplines. His Sakubva side was known as All Blacks and former Caps United player Manu Mhlanga started off with Chisetera in the boys’ club team. Another incentive for Sakubva kids was that the community would at the end of the year throw a party for the winning section team.
With age always the thief of time, Chisetera soon out grew All Blacks and it was around 1969 when Eagles was formed with the likes of Justin Nyazika, Samuel Bondani, Cephas Matambo and Mhlanga.
Others who would later come onto the fray and rise to be big names were his Zimunya homeboy Ebson Sugar Muguyo, Itai Kamonde, Max Tshuma and Andrew Kadengu. Eagles played with teams like BSAP, Border Timbers, Border Paper Mills and Manica Super Markets were in the local league.
John Tecos, a businessman who later became Mutare Mayor and a Mr Basil of Manica Supermarket spearheaded the formation of Sakubva United. The team would later change to Mutare United after applying for membership from the John Madzima Rhodesia National Football League in 1972.
“It was good having to start playing teams like Rio Tinto, Dynamos, Wankie, Mangula, Mashonaland United and Arcadia. We were travelling around the country and learning more and wishing to be better that what we were in the village league,” said Chisetera. In 1974 Chisetera claims that management decided that they change their name to Umtali United so as to market the name. Sakubva resonated with a certain section of the community.
His stars continued to shine and would eventually attract national interest with clubs like Mashonaland United, Dynamos and Rio Tinto all keen on signing the free scoring forward.
After impressing Mashonaland United (Zimbabwe Saints) long time benefactor Herbert Ushewokunze later a minister in independent Zimbabwe with Muguyo in 1974, fears of a brutal life in Bulawayo stopped Wonderman from coming to Skies. Other additions to Umtali were Buster Chirume, Itai Kamonde and Nick Kwashi to a side coached by Zila Raftapolous.
“My dad did not bless the trip for fear of what was perceived to be rough life in the streets of Bulawayo. Muguyo has proven us wrong, 46 six years later he is still living in the City of Kings.
“I wanted to defy dad and run away while he was at the pub to catch the evening train. The plan was Sugar would come in his brother’s car and we would sneak out together. That day dad instead sent my brother to but alcohol and held on to my bag with clothes.
“I was adamant, I wanted to catch the evening train, so I went with the Muguyo brothers, but at the station I just came to my senses and said in African culture it is a taboo to defy a parent. That is how I did not join Saints with my homeboy Sugar,” said Chisetera. He moved to Chibuku Shumba in 1975 and played alongside Billy Sharman, Posani Sibanda, Steven Chuma, Fresh Chamarenga, Zoom Rambanayi, Simon Mudzudzu, Bernard Dzingai, July Sharara and Peter Manyara under Jack Meagher.
“It was a great team, with very talented players and a good coach. We were highly motivated with jobs and Sunday Marimo was with us in 1976,” said Chisetera. He said his best season was in 1975 when he top scored with Kateya.
In 1976 he remembers losing a cup final to Dynamos. He recalls his tussles with former Bafana Bafana coach Ephraim Shakes Mashaba who was at the heart of the Pirates defence with Sono orchestrating things upfront.
Chibuku Shumba pulled out of the league in 1976 with the brewery adamant that it would only sponsor a competition, players and supporters met and resolved to form Black Aces, the jewel club from Highfields.
Chisetera was at hand to score one of the goals in the 2-1 win over Dynamos in the Nyore Nyore Cup, a medal that had eluded him the previous year.
His Chibuku had been edged 1-0 by Dynamos.
The newly formed side which now had Rodrick Muganhiri, a young doctor, Hunda from Dynamos, David Muchineripi and Daniel Chikanda beat Zimbabwe Saints 4-2 in the 1977 Chibuku Trophy final with Chisetera weighing in with a brace as he continued to shine.
They lost in the BAT Rosebowl final to Rio Tinto coached by John Rugg with great stalwarts, namely Wonder Phiri, Raphael Phiri, Robert Godoka and Joseph Zulu. In the same year he was drafted into the national side beaten 7-0 by South Africa. He recalls having been with the likes of Wankie’s Nathaniel Maduku, Posani Sibanda, Matthew Mwale, Sunday Marimo (Chidzambwa), Kateya, Peter Manyara, Kuda Muchemeyi, Robert Godoka, Charles Gwazo, Max Tshuma, July Sharara, Joseph Zulu, Gibson Sibanda, Peter Zimuto and Graham Shearer.
“Those days the team was chosen on merit. I was in because I was scoring goals,” said Chisetera.
In 1978 they were not so lucky in cup competitions going down to Dynamos in the Chibuku Trophy Cup final and in the Sports Pools penultimate match.
In 1979 Chisetera trained with his employers’ team Rhobrew later to change to Natbrew Rovers in Division One. He continued banging goals in the league guiding the side to the top but the company refused to sponsor them in the newly formed Super League in 1980 leaving runners up BAT Ramblers to take up the slot.
He went back to Aces but before the league could start the company put pressure on him to return and again they topped the standings and Glen Tigers then coached by Ashton Nyazika took up the slot. In 1981 he was back at Aces and played for a while but pressure at work forced his retirement at the age of 27.
He says during his days the most formidable defenders were Dynamos’ Simon Sachiti, Isaac Nhema and were further strengthened when Sunday joined them in 1977.
“They were tough, hard to beat and denied you space. Amos Rendo from Wankie was hard too and the likes of the versatile Gibson Homela,” said Chisetera.
Speaking of the best players, Chisetera puts on his money on Shaya whose documentary premiered recently.
“Shaya is no doubt the best player of yesteryear era, he actually stands up there alone, even your recent stars are no way near him. Others like William Sibanda, Gibson Homela, Jimmy Finch, Topsy Robertson and Itai Chieza were brilliant too. They gave fans value for money,” said the father of six.
Of today’s game, Chisetera says it’s too slow and methodical.
“Our game was fast paced, you had to be fit, skilful and intelligent at the same time, defenders would not allow you to dilly dally with the ball, it was either they get the man after missing the ball or both. You had to be skilful and fast to avoid crude tackles. The game was more entertaining and by the time we broke into the professional ranks we had put in thousands of game time honing our skills,” said the legendary forward.
Chisetera who attended both primary and secondary school education at Sakubva also says the school system back then also assisted groom talent.
Chisetera is now a pensioner living in Harare with his family and last coached in the 1980s when he guided Natbrew Rovers from Division Four to One.
He believes his Black Aces of 1977-81 is among the best teams ever to emerge in this country. Chisetera bemoans the collapse of community clubs like Black Aces, Gweru United and Mutare United.
He said they must be revived but with a modern ownership structure that allows community participation.
