The Sunday News
Lovemore Dube
HONOURING your own should be a culture,” these piercing words came from boxing legend Phillip Striker during a visit by sports journalists from the Southern Region on Thursday.
This was during a chat with scribes’ association secretary-general Nash Mukokwayarira, Washington Sibanda and Reverend Leslie Payne. Striker is not well battling prostrate cancer.
The scribe had said sporting greats should not be written off the nation’s minds when they retire but should be preserved and their legacies retained to inspire future generations.
One of football’s living legends deserving mention all the time is Ernest Sibanda, a winner as a player at Bosso, victorious as a manager and chairman who sealed his legendary status by also managing the Warriors.
Very few Zimbabweans are as decorated as this man who boasts of five league championships, four as a manager and one as chairman apart from silverware won during his playing days at Caps United and at Bosso.
A darling of the crowd during his playing days at Njube and Zimbabwe at large, Sibanda is a larger than life football character whose influence and charisma helped brand Highlanders in the late 1990s. His infectious deeds saw the tide change with Bosso building a strong national fan base that has seen the largest football crowds where ever they have played in the country and even South Africa where they have toured.
With a trophy drought that had seen the club collect its last piece of silverware in 1994, the BP League Cup, his arrival as manager during Roger Muhlwa’s term as chairman saw Highlanders rise on the pitch to an untouchable unit that destroyed all before it.
Born 64 years ago, nicknamed Maphepha because of his slim built then, Sibanda made his mark as a slim bodied right winger who could also play as the old Number Eight (8).
He was a great dribbler, passer of the ball and shot at goal well. It is no surprise that he even got call ups at a time when the local game had Hamid Dhana, Stix M’tizwa, Joel Shambo, Tymon Mabaleka, David Mandigora and Joseph Zulu.
An impressive run in the Second Division with Contex between 1977-78 saw his stock rise. Several big clubs were attracted to the skill and charm and in no time Bosso moved in and signed him in 1979 ahead of their campaign in the unified national league, the National Professional Soccer League.
The former Bosso chairman attended secondary school at Sizane High School. He was good enough to lay a starting position in the school team and when he could not manage the fees, a Mr Siduna who was in charge of football, paid school fees for him.
In turn a young Sibanda had to work on his garden and washed clothes for the teacher at his home and thus the legendary figure we know was able to complete his high school education from 1971 to 1974.
He was lucky to impress and get a job at Contex, one of the leading clothing manufacturers in Bulawayo because of his brilliance.
“I was snatched by Highlanders in 1979 and played with big guys like Tymon Mabaleka, Majuta Mpofu, Lawrence Phiri and Josiah Nxumalo. It was a joy to play for Bosso. I remember playing Dynamos in the league re-unification match and White City was filled to the rafters,” said Sibanda.
Highlanders had broken away at the beginning of 1977 and formed the South Zone Soccer League while Dynamos and the rest of the big guns had stayed in the elite division.
Sibanda was part of the Highlanders team that won the Chibuku Trophy, 4-0 against Rio Tinto, the inaugural Heroes Cup 3-2 over Dynamos and was drubbed 8-1 on aggregate in the Rothmans Shield by a marauding Caps United whom he would join the following year.
In 1981 Sibanda got a job in Harare and joined Caps United. It was a side teeming with great talent in Shaky Tauro, Joel Shambo, Stix Mtizwa and Stanley Ndunduma. He described the stint as great.
“It was a joy to play in Africa and we had a good administrator in Julius Chifokoyo. It was a great stay and I learnt a lot there,’’ said Sibanda.
In 1986 Sibanda was transferred to Bulawayo and work commitments meant he could not continue playing as much as he could in a competitive era with Titus Majola, Tito Paketh, Mpumelelo Dzowa, Ronnie Jowa, David Phiri, Nqobizitha Maenzanise and Thoko Sithole.
After a lull in the game, Sibanda bounced back as an administrator injecting life into the Bulawayo Province Junior Soccer League. His arrival saw sponsorships come and several players who got to be of repute came through the ranks and went on to be part of national teams.
With Bosso in need of success and a man with an appeal to both football world and community, Maphepha became their big catch. Things started happening. Crowds improved. New stars were born.
Success after success came the club’s way and four consecutive league titles, a feat only achieved by Dynamos.
Several pieces of silverware were won and out of Bosso came Zenzo Moyo, Thulani Ncube, Bekithemba Ndlovu, Tapuwa Kapini, Joel Luphahla, Noel Kaseke, Simon Sibanda, Alexander Phiri, Gift Lunga Jnr, Mubariki Chisoni, Amon Chimbalanga and Thabani Masawi, among others.
He worked with Rahman Gumbo and Eddie May as his coaches. Sibanda started as manager of Highlanders which had unknowns and volunteered to drive in his car to get a reverse clearance after Zenzo Moyo had impressed in some off-season games. Moyo was based in Botswana before joining Bosso.
Moyo would rise to be the most lethal striker in the land scoring almost 50 goals in two seasons before his departure to Cyprus mid season with a harvest of 24 goals.
Ernest ‘Maphepha’ Sibanda in church
Sibanda has a story he has told a dozen times and he never stops laughing his lungs out.
“One time the boys wanted to go on strike and I pleaded with them not to. We were supposed to travel to Harare and I said to them the executive had promised to fax the money. The boys agreed and put up a stellar performance having bought the story that money would be faxed. I thought fast and back then the boys were still to catch up with technology, the trick worked as we even won and came back to address the issue of their outstanding dues,” said Sibanda.
It is the manner that he and his executive won over the players by clearly stating that those that wanted money could leave and those who were patient must stay and build their careers and accumulate wealth for the club that he won many supporters.
A wholly young side was able to win championships and draw a large following. Sibanda also won the Cosafa Trophy with the senior team and qualification for the Afcon finals. Sibanda grew so popular that he was voted chairman in absentia while at the Egypt Nations finals in 2006 with the national team.
He would at the end of the year win the championship and many will remember how his team held feared Aly Ahly to a 0-0 draw at Barbourfields Stadium before the duo of Aboutrika and Flavio led the Egyptians to a second leg 2-0 win.
Sibanda is serving as a Bulawayo City Football Club board member at a club with so much football depth with Jerry Sibanda, Zenzo Moyo, Ronald Sibanda and Tawanda Ruzive part of the administration.
He was also influential in breathing life to the Bulawayo Social Soccer League in the 1990s as he led Mpopoma’s Mthala from the front. The social side had a number big names that included Douglas Mloyi, and Joshua Mhizha, among others. It was at that time that he also led the establishment of Mthala juniors, which produced an array of stars that went on to play in the PSL like Bekithemba Ndlovu, Golding Dube, Malvern Ntini, Dopi Tawi, Mike Zvivira, Abedi Nyoni and Mephias Webb, among others.
Sibanda joins Silas Ndlovu and Lawrence Phiri as other former players of Highlanders to succeed as administrators. Like most legends, Sibanda is barely recognised in Zimbabwe football. The Zimbabwean culture is to sing praises at one’s last journey.
