The Sunday News
Lovemore Dube
FOOTBALL clubs make a name for themselves by winning trophies and producing star players.
Few remember that Bulawayo Wanderers who later got to be known as Eagles won the first BAT Rosebowl Cup final in free Zimbabwe.
The BAT Rosebowl was until the late 1980s, the season opener.
In 1980 Wanderers beat Plumtree’s Black Horrors 2-1 in the final in one of the biggest days in the club’s history. Eddie Zimunya and Zibusiso Ncube were on target on that day for Mazhiya as Wanderers were affectionately called by its loyal band of supporters. Joseph Ndlovu who played in that cup final as a centre-back before standing out as a trusted cadre in that position for the next decade, he still insists winning the trophy was one of the team’s landmarks. He cannot get over it and remembers how they lined up for the big day. Wanderers were a team that used White City Stadium as their home ground.
They appeared to be a protestant club to the more established clubs of the past generations such as Highlanders, Eastlands, Rangers and Zimbabwe Saints whose majority of players and supporters were drawn from Mzilikazi, Makokoba and Nguboyenja suburbs.
Wanderers drew its support from Old Lobengula, Mabutweni, Iminyela, Pelandaba, Mpopoma and Njube, suburbs close to White City Stadium.
Bulawayo Wanderers
It was a close-knit unit that rallied behind Mazhiya.
“It will always be a great day for us at Mazhiya. It is a trophy that we have lived to celebrate. It was due recognition of our hard work and tribute to people that stood united for the badge,” said Ndlovu.
The cup, he said, had a lot of significance in that it was the first tournament of 1980 as the euphoria of self-rule was engulfing the nation. Wanderers had Lucky Dube in goal, deputised by Johannes Tshuma. Both goalkeepers donned national team colours and Dube was at one stage the preferred national goal-minder ahead of Japhet Mparutsa. Mparutsa is regarded as Zimbabwe’s best produced goalkeeper in the last 44 years.
Ndlovu said Charles Wadawu, Arthur Makombe, Stanford Ntini, Noel Nyoni, Eddie Zimunya, Joseph James, Clive Moyo and a young Boy Ndlovu were among those that started and delivered the silverware. “We had accounted for a number of teams on our way to a memorable final at Barbourfields which turned out to be a colourful and successful day for our club,” said Ndlovu.
Eagles is now defunct but its former players in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Zimbabwe have come together to form a benevolent fund to assist some of their less fortunate and in times of bereavement. Collen Ngwenya heads the Johannesburg Chapter while Jerry Sibanda leads the Bulawayo one.
