The Sunday News
THE mines were Zimbabwe’s sporting hub, giving birth to dozens of footballers who dominated the football scene for decades.
We have hardly had a national team or Soccer Star of the Year Calendar without players from a mining background. It was fertile ground for the grooming of talent and champions.
The Colonial Masters decided in most mines just like in towns, to have beerhalls, bioscope arena, football pitch and country bus terminus close to each other. In the event of an emergency they knew where to find their employees within three minutes’ walk of the other.
Workers needed entertainment but it was guided to protect the “Baas’ interests”. The Black majority even in their moments of sobriety were still controlled as the mine security provided cover to ensure they did not stray into neighbouring villages and villagers did not come by.
Single quarters for women who served two purposes were built near by. The women, were to become partners to mainly single guys from rural areas or migrant labour from Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia. They also worked as maids for the Masters. A clinic was close by too.
A visit to Hwange and Zvishavane will prove this. Maglas Clinic, football pitch and track are just like a carbon copy of the set up at Hwange’s Lwendulu Village where within a 400m radius there is Lwendulu Hall, Jabulani Bar, Beerhall, Old Ground, Bioscope Arena, clinic, primary school, bus terminus and shops.
All the conveniences were there for the majority Blacks within easy reach. In the comfort of grand stands and trees providing cover, they watched athletes and footballers training or in real competition.
For athletics it was more like competition at first with no really structured athlete preparation. For football, a few laps and exercise followed by 11 versus 11 matches was the order of the day. One could be asked from the terraces to fill in for a team down on numbers.
Soccer by its nature being the world’s number one sport attracted crowds including mine bosses. It eventually carried bragging rights for the bosses over their peers at other mine establishments giving birth to Chamber of Mines Sport. Today we look at the great footballing talent to emerge from the mines and it’s up to the reader to decide which one has had the fairest great talent.
Zimbabwe football folklore would be incomplete without Mangura – the mighty side of the 1960s and 70s. Led by the Chieza family, two of whom were good enough for the great 1970 World Cup qualifiers squad Isaac and Itai, the team endeared itself by flooring giants such as Arcadia, Dynamos, Rufaro Rovers and Chibuku.
There was quality with the Chiezas – Isaac, Itai, George, Harrison, Winston and Tendai core members with the likes of Philemon Phiri, Alex Masanjala, Booker Muchenu and Lovemore Nyabeze key members.
The team starred on both the mines games and national landscape with some of their players enjoying successful careers as coaches such as Tendai and Nyabeze. Years later in the late 1980s and early 1990s another generation emerged to keep the mine’s football legacy afloat.
Benjamin Zulu, Jani Milanzi, Gerald Phiri, Gilbert Majonda, Abraham Chimkanga, Jonathan Chikaponya and Patrick Mandizha weighed in with individual and team brilliance which promised so much for the game and a region – Mashonaland West which had long missed soccer success following the demise of both Mangura and Rio Tinto.
Rio Tinto and its Cam and Motor Stadium are up there in the game. So many mouth-watering stories about a great team, a legacy worthy documenting and storing for posterity.
Robert Godoka, a winger so talented to play for Kaizer Chiefs (South Africa) and in North America with the likes of Kaizer Motaung, Jomo Sono, Pele, Frank Benckenbaur, Andreas Maseko and Ace Ntsoelongue was the star of the side and for his club.
He played with Joseph Zulu who was on the left flank. Zulu may have the highest number of appearances on the Soccer Star of the Year calendar, in a small class with over five successful nominations.
Raphael Phiri, Wonder Phiri, David Chisambe, Gibson Sibanda, John Phiri, David Mwanza, Boniface Chiseko, Chris Mhlanga, Stanley Nyika, Nelson Mapara, Ephert Lungu, Silver Bhebhe, Sherperd Muradzikwa and Uyera Mukorongo are some of the great stars to wear the green and white kit.
Scot John Rugg made wonders during his time with the club guiding it to several cup finals and great finishes on both the Rhodesia National Football League and the Super League after Independence. He was made national team coach a number of times. Just like Mangura the collapse of the mine caused so much disaster for athletics and football.
Paul Moyo’s arrival in 1976 at Zisco changed the football script in the Midlands. There was a team rivalling Kambasha Brothers (KB) FC in Kwekwe/Redcliff providing Africans their ultimate entertainment in a gold and iron ore mining and processing town.
With players like James Takavada, Ephraim Dzimbiri, Ephraim Moloi Moyo, Bennedict Moyo, Bernard Zikhali, Njabulo Zulu, Newman Bizeki, William Mutekesa, Abraham Senda, Jeffrey Gotora, Richard Manda, Langton Marizani, Victor Dliwayo and Jonathan Boriwondo, Zisco’s place in Zimbabwe football cannot be disputed.
Gaths and Shabanie Mine are to some popular as asbestos mines but bigger as producers of great sporting talent in athletics, cycling and football.
Warriors legend who played for Bata FC, Chaplin High School and Dynamos Francis Shonhayi, Shaw Handriade, Angirayi Chapo, James Banda, Gerald Phiri, Thomas Makwasha, Asani Juma, Max Ruza, Phillip Sithole, Francis Chandida, James Kaunda, Patrick Mandizha and Jimmy Mbewe, are some of the biggest names to emerge or play for either Gaths Mine or Shabanie.
Shabanie had a fairy-tale run in their maiden season 2001 winning the berth to play in the Caf Confederation Cup after being runners up to Bosso in the FA Cup.
Coached by Solomon Kaseke and managed by the charismatic Khalid Khan, they were a great breath of fresh air in Zimbabwe football where in the last decade silverware had been shared by teams from Bulawayo, Harare and Kwekwe’s Lancashire Steel.
Mimosa Mine have had their FC Platinum as the best performing mine football club due to good sponsorship. An array of stars led by talented players like Mandizha, Joel Ngodzo, Simon Njeleza, Ntokozo Tshuma, Frank Chaiwa, Francis Tizirayi, Gift Bello have all played for the side though unlike Mangura, Rio Tinto and Zisco they are yet to produce their own star from within the community that could be said to be at the level of the imports.
Gwayi River and Kamativi Mines are defunct but will be remembered for former Wankie FC stars Labani Ngoma, Nyaro Mumba and George Phiri. Talking of the most successful Matabeleland football clubs, Highlanders, Bulawayo Rovers, Zimbabwe Saints come to mind and are spoken about more because they were based in the region’s capital, Bulawayo.
But there is Wankie FC once fired by Anglo American Corporation’s Wankie Colliery Company. Outside Bulawayo they have been the most successful club in the region.
Like the other mines, they benefitted from the Colonial Masters’ setting that eventually gave birth to a local amateur league Wankie African Football Association. In ethnic groupings a local league was established to feed into the famous Wankie, winners of the Castle Cup, Zimbabwe’s FA Cup in 1970, 1973 and 1991.
While providing entertainment to miners and their growing families, eventually employment to outsiders became the order as well with the club attracting Barry Daka, Jimmy Sibanda from Bulawayo and the likes of Rodrick Simwanza from Victoria Falls, George Phiri and Ngoma from Kamativi, Mumba from Gwayi River, Muradzikwa from Mutare.
Wankie (Hwange) was able to produce its own stars from the local league and schools drawn by accident from the repressive set up legacy.
Players that come to mind are Twymam Ncube, Daniel Rendo, Amos Rendo, David Khumalo, Mwape Sakala, Philemon Nyathi, David Phiri, Tobias Sibanda, Chris Piningo, Chrispen Nyoni, Barton Mwalukuka, Benson Soko, Antony Sibanda, Fabian Zulu, Chingumbe Masuku, Isaac Tshuma, Juma Chitonje, Kenneth Ngulube, Chabuka Mwale and Rhodesia goalkeeper Posani Sibanda.
The die is cast which mine has produced the best of the Year year Greats.
