The Sunday News
Lovemore Zigara Midlands Correspondent
THE football community yesterday descended on Kwekwe to bid farewell to former Warriors, Ziscosteel and Lancashire Steel defender Paul Gundani who was laid to rest at Kwekwe Central Cemetery.
Gundani (49) who was also the secretary-general of the Footballers Union of Zimbabwe (FUZ )passed away on Wednesday after a short illness.
The former Warriors defender’s coffin was lowered at around 3:30pm after several eulogies in praise of him. Sport and Recreation Minister Makhosini Hlongwane said Gundani was a “war veteran of the sports movement” for his defence of players’ rights.
“In the struggle for the emancipation of our players and getting them to be better people beyond playing the game from the pitch, Paul is a war veteran of the sports movement,” he said.
Hlongwane said his ministry is putting in place guidelines on basic requirements for individuals and corporates to own clubs so that players are not exploited.
“My approach as Sports Minister is to view sports as a source of employment. And if we are going to make it a source of employment then it means we must first scrutinise how sport is structured from clubs to the national teams,’’ said Hlongwane.
“We must begin to talk seriously about the basic minimum of one bringing on a club in the premier league and the lower leagues so that our players are not taken advantage of.”
FUZ president Desmond Maringwa who broke down while giving his speech described Gundani as a “soldier of football” and implored former football players to take an active role in the administration of football.
Several speakers who took to the podium also spoke glowingly of Gundani with former players who included Ernest “Maphepha” Sibanda and Benedict Moyo reinforcing the need of former players to be part of the football administration.
Among some of the notable dignitaries who attended Gundani’s burial was Zifa chief executive officer, Jonathan Mashingaidze and his PSL counterpart Kennedy Ndebele, Lazarus Mhurushomana, Francis Zimunya, FifPro board member for Africa Region Thulaganyo Gaoshubelwe, Footballers Union of Botswana secretary-general Kgosana Masaseng and South Africa Players Football Union treasurer Gordon Maseko.
Former players Benjani Mwaruwari, Tonderayi Ndiraya, Zenzo Moyo, Dumisani Mpofu and the local political and traditional leadership who included Kwekwe Central legislator Masango Matambanadzo, Kwekwe mayor Matenda Madzoke, his Redcliff counterpart Freddy Kapuya, Chief Ntabeni and Chief Gwesela were also among hundreds of mourners who came to pay their last respects to the Locomotive as Gundani was affectionately known during the Dream Team era.
Not to be outdone were Zifa presidential aspirants James Takavada who played alongside Gundani at Ziscosteel and Phillip Chiyangwa who arrived at the end of the proceedings with his campaign team.
