Adios, says Javas, the man who made Bulawayo Chiefs the Twitter Kings

HE perhaps has every right to brag and say he made an impact on Zimbabwean football in the last five years. This is the man behind the Bulawayo Chiefs social media handles, Thulani “Javas” Sibanda.

He recently quit his role as the club’s spokesperson amid revelations that he has reverted to arts management where he made his name before venturing into the football business.

Sibanda was the head of the Bulawayo Chiefs media department, where he led a team that managed the club’s social media pages with flair and creativity. He made Bulawayo Chiefs the Twitter Kings, a nickname that reflects their popularity and influence on the platform.

Bulawayo Chiefs are the only local football club that has a verified Twitter account, and they have a lovely sports shop that sells their apparel. Under Sibanda’s leadership, Bulawayo Chiefs set the trend on the digital platform with their witty and engaging messages. Their Twitter handle was verified over two years ago.

Bulawayo Chiefs are one of the most entertaining sides on social media, using banter to actively engage fans on the platform. They have also inspired other local clubs, such as Dynamos, Highlanders, CAPS United and Chicken Inn, to up their social media game over the years.

Sibanda is a man of many talents. He is a trained journalist, a full-time arts administrator, and a qualified Five-A-Side (Futsal) referee. He toured Europe with Siyaya Arts in 2004, where he had the opportunity to watch some big football matches in the English Premier League. He says this experience has contributed immensely to his understanding of football fans.

Sibanda believes he has run his race in the football industry.

“I felt l had ran my race in the football media world and it felt right that l pass the baton to others to carry on. It’s been one of the most demanding jobs I have ever done as it proved to be a 24/7 job, you have to be always on your toes checking trends, monitoring your club image, keeping up with public demands, keeping up with feedback.

“So it has been a great learning curve as well, an enjoyable one to say. It has been a journey l started with Bulawayo Chiefs in 2018 when the team gained promotion and when l look back at where we started l can say it has been a journey and a half with lots of creative energies invested.”

Sibanda says he only recognised the impact he made in football after he quit his job at Bulawayo Chiefs. He said:

“I have never put much thought about me doing enough in football or not, until when l read from people after l announced my stepping down, it then hit me to say I must have done something right, because to me it was all about following a passion, the love of the game alongside like-minded creatives who were part of my media team.

“It was a great team effort and I now believe that together with my team we did enough to inspire the next generation. Going forward from now, I can only hope and wish that our local football media continues to excel to international standards.”

Sibanda says local clubs are doing their best to catch up with global trends in managing social media handles.

“Our clubs are making good efforts to catch up with marketing themselves on social media. The whole game is a marathon, not a sprint and you can tell by the efforts that are being put in that reflect that with time they will eventually get it right. It’s a pressure game and it needs people to be careful not to buckle under pressure and eventually fail to hit the target.”

Sibanda explained what he will be doing next.

“I have since retraced to arts management. I’m now with a local company called Exclusive Management. Our main goal is to help various arts groups get gigs in foreign lands. That is one of our many missions at a time when we have few groups touring foreign lands. However, I still have a soft spot for football. I will help out those who wish to be assisted. I will never quit football for good.”— @innocentskizoe