The Sunday News
Lovemore Dube
WHEN patriotism called ahead of one’s personal health in 1995, forgotten former Eagles, Hwange and Highlanders FC goalkeeper, Johannes Tshuma stepped in to serve his country.
He is among a group of players who despite sacrificing their lives for the country were paid a pittance by the ever troubled Zifa.
“The remuneration did not match the sacrifice but as soldiers for the country, we were happy to have come to the rescue,” said Tshuma on Friday morning.
The entire Dream Team gang turned down the call up to play for Zimbabwe in an Africa Cup of Nations tie against the Democratic Republic of Congo, then Zaire because of the Ebola threat.
Tshuma then in the twilight of his career and enjoying his game was called up with a squad of relatively younger players who included legendary Mercedes Sibanda and a few others who went on to make names for themselves on the domestic scene.
As fate would have it, Zimbabwe were whacked 5-0 in that match but the Man-of-the Match was none other than the goalkeeper, Tshuma. He, however, had to retrieve the ball five times from the back of the net as the Congolese ran riot on the pitch. It may still be the highest losing score line for Zimbabwe in that competition. But he was named Man-of-the-Match!
That was to be Tshuma’s only national team cap in a career that began at Eagles with the likes of Boy Ndlovu, Rahman Gumbo, Pernell Mckop, Tanny Banda, Stoneshed Moyo, Asani Karigeni and Eddie Zimunya.
Tshuma said ahead of the Zaire trip he got a call that he had to be at Zifa offices within an hour in Bulawayo. It was the meeting point for all Bulawayo based players who were to proceed to Harare to meet the rest of the travelling party.
The team did not even train to build up combinations.
“It was at the 11th hour. Zifa wanted us to fulfil the fixture,” said Tshuma, who travelled with national teams to Cameroon and Mozambique in a career that landed him a number of silverware pieces with Hwange and Highlanders. He said the team left for the DRC at dawn.
“Zifa chartered a plane for the trip. We left our clothing behind and we were dressed in football kit and we were told we would not stay long after the match. So when we got to Kinshasa we went straight to the football stadium as a way of avoiding contact with locals as much as possible.
“We were given assurances by the World Health Organisation that we would be safe. We smeared some liquid into our body and were told that even the sweat of the opposition would not be an issue. The 5-0 score line had nothing to do with us being afraid to make body contact,” said Tshuma.
He said their opponents meant business from the beginning of the match. Tshuma said because they had not trained and worked on combinations they were disjointed in all departments but gave the match their all.
Barry Daka, Gibson Homela and Brenna Msiska were the coaches of the side while Sheperd Muradzikwa, Melusi Nkiwane, Gift Lunga (Senior), Muzondiwa Mugadza, Chipo Tsodzo and the late Mercedes Sibanda were some of the players to volunteer against threats of Ebola.
“The coaches had told us that we were under no pressure at all and just needed to play the game the best we could. Those guys came at us and I must have saved over 25 shots on target despite being beaten five times. During corner kicks the referee would come to me and say take it easy,” said Tshuma.
Their nerves were calmed before the match when during the inspection the Congolese captain assured them that there was no Ebola in Kinshasa. The skipper said the problem was to the east at some remote village.
Tshuma believes he deserved a national team call up earlier to 1995. His time in Hwange whom he joined from Freda Mine in 1989 had seen him mature and develop into a fine talent that should have got better reward for its toil and sweat on our fields.
“In 1991 when we won the Castrol Heroes Cup and the following year, I was top of my game. I enjoyed the company of good players like Knight Mathe, Mebelo Njekwa, Venancio Ncube, Fabian Zulu, David Phiri, Chingumbe Masuku, Chris Piningo, Dumisani Mafikeni, Roger Sibanda and the late Benson Soko,” said Tshuma.
Tshuma left Hwange for Highlanders in 1993 making an immediate impact by guiding the team to the BP League Cup in which they beat Dynamos in the final.
At Highlanders Tshuma played with the likes of Nkiwane, Rambo, Willard Khumalo, Sikhumbuzo Ndebele, Gift Lunga (Senior), Master Masiku, Kelvin Maseko, the late Oscar Ncube and Andrew Shue, an American footballer and actor.
“I had a good time at Bosso, we were united and played as a unit for each other and the fans,” said Tshuma.
The former Ekusileni pupil started his career at Bulawayo Wanderers whom he joined as a junior before graduating into the first team in the early 1980s.
Wanderers, later known as Eagles, got Tshuma a job at United Refineries. By the time the club collapsed in 1989, Tshuma was a student at Bulawayo Polytechnic.
“I was into boiler making and this presented me with an opportunity to go to Freda Mine where I was employed as a coach of their football side while at the same time I got some industrial attachment in boiler making,” he said.
The move to Hwange came as a surprise.
“One day Hwange legend Rodrick Simwanza and Dumisani Mafikeni came to the mine and asked me to join the club. The mine personnel officer, Sherperd Phiri allowed them to speak to me and he understood that Hwange were a bigger club. He too felt I was still too young to be lost to the game by venturing into coaching early and that is how I ended up back as a player,” said Tshuma.
Of his time at Eagles, he said it was a great opportunity playing with talented footballers like Stanford Ntini, Boy Ndlovu, Elvis Chiweshe, Gumbo and Joseph Ndlovu.
Tshuma rates Bruce Grobbelaar highly and says he was a big inspiration to him. He also has respect for other local goalkeepers of his time like Japhet Mparutsa and Msiska.
Adam Ndlovu, Boy Ndlovu, Madinda Ndlovu, Rambo, Norman Mapeza, Chiweshe and Noel Nyoni he says were among the best players to have graced local stadia and were able to jerk fans off their seats with their brilliance.
Tshuma is a Fifa-trained goalkeepers’ trainer with a passion for working with juniors. He has coached a number of clubs at Division One and was once part of the Highlanders technical team as goalkeepers coach.
