adminHe was a coach with a vision, a man on a mission whose death robbed soccer of a promising gaffer.
The year 2013 was set to be his. He spoke fondly about assembling a better team than the one he had for 2012 which finished third in the Castle Lager Premiership.
His death is a sad episode of a colourful life spent entertaining millions across the world, the crumbling of careers of many players who looked up to him to take them to the world of real professional football.
Adam spoke so glowingly about his 2013 season’s prospects and was due to speak to his executive yesterday morning to finalise deals with some of the players.
On Saturday morning while we were milling outside a hotel in Harare’s avenues, he said; “Mebraz I am meeting my executive on Monday and on Tuesday we can talk. On Wednesday then we can give you a story but I can assure you I have identified good stuff for the club.”
As we travelled on the same bus from Bulawayo to Harare on Friday for the Soccer Star of the Year Banquet, his phone never stopped ringing. If it was not incoming calls, it was him talking to players and agents about his targets.
In the bus I considered myself lucky to sit with him and Quelaton coach Farai Sibanda whom I played with at Rixi way back in 1989. Deep in my mind then I thought the most promising juniors other than Adam and his Bosso reserve team, Sibanda and the late East Rovers, Highlanders and Bloemfontein striker, Oscar Ncube were the best in Bulawayo.
So the topics were varied and exciting and speaking to Adam and Sibanda I was left convinced that these are promising lads in the field who need time and a stable environment to shape them up.
The father of two, who is Zimbabwe’s second highest goal-scorer after Peter Ndlovu for the Warriors with 34 goals, and I got something to laugh about after the party we attended in Harare.
All along the media and Zifa have said Peter scored 36 goals, on Friday evening Charles Mabika announced a new figure of 34.
Jokingly he said Peter’s goals could include those scored in the Benjani Mwaruwari Testimonial in May or Asiagate matches. There were no hard feelings from him it was just a light moment and he spoke of the pride of having had two high profile brothers to look up to and trying to raise the Ndlovu name, Highlanders and Zimbabwe on the field of play.
With Ndlovu and Sibanda next to me, we spoke about football, subjects which spanned 30 years. We reserved space for the future where he seemed resigned to losing Kuda Mahachi to Harare clubs. He was close to tears as he explained that football is all about chances, lamenting the fact that some moves are ill-timed and tend to throw one into oblivion. In some instances it could just be what the doctor ordered.
He felt the boy was still too young to be let to live in the bright lights of Harare far from the support system that had nurtured him into a promising star.
Ndlovu was a courteous man, who respected people. You did not need to be best of buddies to be in good books with him and he was ever ready to stop his car, hoot or if walking share some light moment with you.
His smile and deep voice left a big impression on many.
I was lucky to have met him before he became a star. Living in the central business district in the 1980s where he stayed with legendary winger brother, Madinda and I with Highlanders chairman, Peter Dube, it was natural that we would be in each other’s good books.
He looked up to me as a brother, critic and friend. Adam always respected my opinions about football, its administrators and the most promising crop.
Even when fame and money came, Adam still had time for his folks be it at the stadium, Makokoba where he grew up and the city at large. He was so down to earth and his humility touched the hearts of many.
It was something to boast about reading about him at Skyview Dormitory at Inyathi High School in 1988 when his Bosso junior team was winning trophies and telling the lads that siyazana.
It was not a celebrity crush but reality, something supported by classmates Lazarus Mushambadope, a talented former Olympics, Zimbabwe Saints and St Columbus player and Shepherd Muntali who were next door neighbours with the former Warriors centre forward.
He was two years my junior and I remember vividly flying with the team to Harare on 4 November 1990 where a memorable hattrick against a strong Dynamos landed Highlanders the Zifa Cup. Flying back to Bulawayo we sat a few seats apart. He had the humility to walk up to me and say, “Silesethile broer.”
I was a young man then in the midst of Bosso executive members, businesspeople returning home from a weekend in Harare and players like Willard Kumalo, the late Mercedes Sibanda, Peter Nkomo, the late Benjamin Mpofu, the late Cleopas Dlodlo, Rahman Gumbo and Harrison Meki. That day has remained one of my best days in soccer not only for his hattrick, but that I was about two metres away from His Excellency President Mugabe.
I still remember Peter Dube appearing just behind the President putting on a Candy Liverpool T-shirt, celebrating Bosso’s victory as the President presented the trophy —something that would get him fired from what looked like a promising refereeing career.
Dube was a Class Four referee and the match officials’ body does not allow members to show their club affiliation. He, however, has never regretted quitting officiating as he has had successful spells as a Highlanders executive member.
He has always been an Adam fan and the issue would always be hot debate within the family with Dube sticking out for his Adam, other members of the family on one corner and myself on the other rooting for Madinda.
So many atimes during kickabouts while growing up I called myself Madinda as he was my inspiration while the relationship I had with Adam and Peter was that of stars and a fare paying fan until I became a journalist.
I travelled with Adam to many Warriors games and enjoyed every bit of his time and witty comments.
For years I have searched for some of the pictures of his ealy 1990s days in old boxes and tried to get negatives of the pictures from KC Kara of Kays Photo Studio then the Highlanders official photographer. They are a collector’s must.
Adam has a rich pictorial history of the club.
When he moved to Europe he would come back and still be the same humble boy from Makokoba with that lasting impression made by his smile.
Ndlovu rose to being one of the best strikers in the country scoring with ease for the Under-20s, Under-23s and the senior national team.
Many will remember his dazzling performance against Tunisia in 1991 at Barbourfields Stadium where with younger brother Peter on form, they tore apart the North Africans 5-2. He scored too many an important goal for club and country and his spell at Swiss club FC Zurich earned him a Swizerland Player of the Year accolade and Swiss FA Cup glory.
He was among the first Zimbabweans after Bruce Grobbelaar in the 1980s to play in the European Winners Cup now the Europa League Cup.
Adam returned home towards the end of 2001 and moved to Highlanders the following year.
On Friday evening after one or two at the stars banquet I walked up to him and said; “Would I qualify for the Bosso Legends tour of Victoria Falls?”
I said that on the strength of having been part of a strikeforce that had Eddie Munenekwa, Clemence Marijeni, Limukani Ncube, Fortune Mbizvo and Simba Gore in the Chronicle social soccer team in 2001 and 2002. He was a budding player in 1989 when I was playing for Highlanders Volleyball Club in the team’s sports association before I rose to provincial champion, chairman and national teams manager and association vice-president.
We joked about how some players within the Legends set up should be dressed as former footballers and not legends as some like Tsano (Cosmas Zulu), as he put it, had played just 30 minutes for Highlanders.
That ended with a big laugh when I said I would tell Cosmas Zulu about it.
He was later to say the veteran coach would probably have a workshop with the executive as he has something to share about football and its administration.
From joining Highlanders, Adam who was strong on the ball and a finisher of high precision with either foot and head, having won the 2002 Castle Lager championship, he was off to revive his international career in South Africa.
He played for the Dube Birds, Moroka Swallows. He scored several goals and with age catching up with him at Swallows he later was released and played for Dynamos and Free State Stars.
He made it a point to come to Bulawayo every break.
When he retired he went into business before he went into coaching starting with Chicken Inn last year.
Adam’s story is unfinished. His coaching was pregnant with expectations of many good things to come. Now that he is departed we are only left to speculate what could have been had he lived on and carried on with his project with promising administrators like Lifa Ncube, Obert Masara, Judah Tshuma and Tawengwa Hara.
Who will finish his story. Football has once again been robbed of a jewel by death.
Ndlovu died at Victoria Falls Hospital on Sunday morning after Peter’s car veered off the road, crashed into and uprooted big trees. A lady who was travelling with the brothers died on the spot while Peter was later transferred to Bulawayo’s Mater Dei Hospital where he is said to be recovering.
It was a different trip for us to Harare, most of the journalists got time to speak to both brothers and Peter was so forthcoming and welcoming that he even set appointments to meet me for a chat about a project he said he believed my advice would be needed.
A speedy recovery is what the nation wishes Peter and what is comforting is Adam ran his mile on the flank and it’s now up to someone in the Ndlovu family to finish off the good work he started. Ndlovu had a life so full of respect and hope for the future.
Alwehlanga lungehlanga. Rest in peace dear coach, to the Ndlovu family, the whole of Zimbabwe and soccer loving world that met your son, is with you in this sad stage of the chapter of his life.
Born a winner, he passed on a winner with his Chicken Inn third in the Premiership, two players making it to the 11 outstanding players for 2012 and Kuda Mahachi claiming the most promising player in the land.
Online Reporter