Legendary ‘Ace of troubles’

Danisa Masuku
Being Christened “Ace of troubles” was not just a mere fluke for Highlanders legendary player Edward Dzowa who played a vital role in the Highlanders backline.

Highlanders and Wankie FC (now Hwange) legendary player Barry Daka watched Dzowa during his prime and describes him as an ace player.

“He was a dependable defender who was good both with ground and aerial balls but it’s unfortunate that during that time in the 70s matches were not recorded and were only covered in newspapers, if it was like now the youngsters could see how the yesteryear greats fared in their football careers,” he says.

Dzowa explains how he earned the moniker — Ace of troubles.

“It was after I had left a social team called Hot Tots FC in 1964 and joined Highlanders in 1965. Lawrence “Lofty”, Boet van As and I formed a tight defence and I used to give strikers headaches as I thwarted their moves, following that supporters began to call me Ace of troubles,” Dzowa tells Sunday Life Sport.

He was a cheeky defender who even challenged referees when he deemed they had made a wrong decision.

“I used to stand my ground whenever I felt the referee had made a blunder because I did not want to be taken advantage of,” he reveals.

He reveals that their success was from sheer hard work but the executive which was led by chairman Chris Zwambila believed in juju.

“As players we did not believe in juju but the executive were firm believers in muthi, as such when we played high-rated teams they would order us to  take turns to bath in juju, after that we would win the match,” Dzowa recalls.

He reveals that at times the executive took them to an inyanga.

“On the eve of some matches the executive would take us to an inyanga where we would take turns to bath in juju. I think that worked well for us because after that we would win the match with a good scoreline,” he shares.

Dzowa goes on to say at times they were given a hide of a sheep to rub on their soccer boots and put a pinch of salt on the sleeve of the shirt.

When they suspected that their entry point to the pitch was smeared with juju they would scale over the fence.

He reveals that ardent supporters like Daniel Moyo and John Dube “JD” were at hand to assist players in scaling over the fence.

“Daniel and John were great supporters, as such they organised four supporters to stand at the point where we would go to gain entry. We would climb on them and jump onto the pitch. When we were suspicious of juju in away games we would put a ladder at an undesignated point and climb up onto the football pitch,” he said.

In a bid to make sure players did not sneak out to leisure centres while in camp, the team used to camp at Matapos.

“We were kept away from the city so that we couldn’t engage in sex because they believed that would bring bad luck to the team and lead to a defeat. We adhered to the instructions and I believe that worked in our favour as we won matches.

Moreover, we enjoyed the serene atmosphere in the mountains,” he says.

He recalls that his memorable game was when he gave his all and helped his side in clinching the Chibuku Cup in 1973. They were coached by legendary Silas Ndlovu. The players that took part in the Chibuku Cup were James Nxumalo, Zenzo Dabengwa, Josiah Nxumalo, Tymon Mabaleka, Tommy Masuku and Kevin Duberly, among others. The backline had Boet van As, who was a central defender, Dzowa played in the left back, and Lawrence Phiri played in the right back. The Mpofu brothers Jeffrey and Mike were substitutes.

The Chibuku Cup became his memorable game because about 26 buses were hired to ferry supporters to the epic clash against Mhangura FC that took place at Rufaro Stadium.

His worst game was against Sables FC when he faced a torrid time as he failed to match marauding Chita Antonio.

“Chita was too fast for me and was young at the time, as such I failed to match his runs. I faced a difficult time trying to mark him and he was also a skilful striker. That was to be my worst game,” he says.

He says at the time he was employed at Sales House as a sales promoter and used to travel to different parts of the country promoting new brands of clothes.

“I used to travel with the Jairos Jiri Band. At the time it was led by Fanyana Dube,” he reveals.

His decade-long dance with Bosso came to a halt when he clashed with Bulawayo Wanderers FC striker Maplain Nyathi.

“We were playing Bulawayo Wanderers at White City Stadium. As I tried to thwart him (Nyathi) I failed, as a result I twisted an ankle and that marked the end of my career in 1974,” he recalls.

The club leadership recommended him to be part of the coaching department.

“Our chairman Zwambila and Ndlovu recommended that I join the technical department and like someone who had the team at heart I joined the coaching department and assisted Silas Ndlovu. I was part of the coaching department for three seasons,” he recalls.

During his stint as a coach he won the Rothmans Shield. After soccer he dedicated his efforts to his full time job at Sales House and is lifetime member for Bosso.

Fact file
– He was born in 1942 at Umguza , Matabeleland North province.

– His brothers, Kenny and Paul Tsumbe also played soccer.

– He was married to Joyce who passed on in 2016.

– The couple has six children, Nkululeko who played for Highlanders juniors, Mpumelelo who turned out for Highlanders before joining Caps United, Thando who also turned out for Highlanders, Tholakele and the twins Samukelisiwe and Thabani.

– The family worships at Roman Catholic Church.