The Sunday News
Danisa Masuku
A chat with former Ziscosteel FC forward, Simba Shoniwa took us down memory lane as he spoke about life at the now defunct football powerhouse that churned out talented players.
Shoniwa, the towering former Ziscosteel striker kicked life to his calling at Ziscosteel in 1986 where he was a super sub for the first stanza of the season in a squad that had the likes of Jonathan Boriwondo, Selemani Talabu, Paul Gundani, and Samuel Salimu. The likes of Ephraim Moloi, James Takavada, Roderick Muganhiri, Tobias Moyo, and Ali Saidi were the senior players who were the leading lights in the team.
He says it was not easy to make it into the first team squad as the team was laced with talent and determined players.
“I was a super sub for the first half of the season since the team had talented players that were hungry for success. I had to endure coming off the bench for the better part of the season and it was not easy to be selected into the first team line-up,” he remembers.
He says their former coach the late Morrison Sifelani preferred to play senior players, however, things took a turn when former legendary Risco player and Ziscosteel coach Bernard Zikhali took the reins. He says he started to enjoy more game time as he would start regularly.
“I learnt that coaches have their choice of philosophy of football just like Morrison Sifelani, he had much belief in senior players and would bench most of us the juniors. But Bernard Zikhali had a belief in the junior players. As a junior I started to enjoy more game time during Zikhali’s reign and I would fit in his brand of play,” he reminisces.
He marks 1987 as his best year as he scored 18 goals.
“I was someone who was losing confidence as I had endured the bench but a new dawn came in 1987 and I impressed as I scored 18 goals,” says Shoniwa.
He says in the yester year era there were prolific forwards who were sharp shooters unlike now.
“There were players like Moses Chunga who could score a whopping 41 goals in a season and Wonder Chaka who had an eye for goal as he could score a massive 76 goals in three seasons, now it sounds like a tale to the current crop of PSL players,” he reminisces.
In 1988 he suffered a career threatening injury that relegated him to the bench. However, he has good memories about his football career.
“My most memorable game was against Arcadia United FC, it was during my maiden season in 1986 when I came from the bench, Arcadia United was leading by two goals and we had not scored. I scored a consolation goal. After that I earned the nickname super sub. At the time Arcadia United had Tobias Moyo and Richard Manda who were our former players,” he recalls.
However, his worst game was when his side clashed against the red hot Eagles that had the likes of Boy Ndlovu, Stoneshed Moyo, Elvis “Chuchu” Chiweshe and Rahman Gumbo who were touted as the vital cog of the team. He says they were drubbed 7-0.
“A match when we played a high riding Eagles at White City Stadium goes down as my worst match. I felt as if I do not know football basics. The team was so good and we could not match them, as a result they beat us 7-0,” he recalls.
He had to hang his soccer boots in 1991.
After that he says he started playing social soccer before he moved to United Kingdom in 2003. He says he is not interested in coaching but administration.
“Administration is my line of interest as such I would like to pursue it and take it to a greater level when I come back home,” he says.
He says his wish is to see his former club Ziscosteel revived.
“I would like to organise former Ziscosteel players to come up with a fund to finance the revival our dear club that propelled us to stardom,” he says.
