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BENJANI Mwaruwari returned to Bulawayo yesterday and walked into Highlanders as head coach, putting on the club’s black and white for the first time in 31 years.
The former Manchester City striker left Bosso’s junior ranks as a teenager in 1995, chasing a professional life away from home, first at Chegutu side Lulu Rovers, a move he says was driven by the need to stand on his own feet and help his family.
He was introduced at a low key press briefing held soon after he met the club’s top leadership at the Highlanders offices, executive chairman Kenneth Mhlophe, vice-chairman Fiso Siziba, finance board member Nkani Khoza and technical affairs board member Kindman Ndlovu.
“I am very, very excited, humbled and honoured to be Highlanders head coach. I grew up here in Bulawayo and I suppose I played for this team, the feeling is that I do not have words for that,” said Mwaruwari, speaking with a calm confidence that matched the moment.
Mwaruwari revealed he was part of a strong Highlanders juniors set in the 1990s, but admitted his rise was not obvious at the time, even to those closest to the game in Bulawayo, because his early years did not scream “future international”.
He was originally spotted in Magwegwe after being poached by legendary Ali Dube from Young Blood, and those who watched him then remember a powerful teenager who could shield the ball and hit a shot, but who did not dominate the way the club’s top prospects often do.
That is why, when he left, there were people who barely noticed the gap, and it took a later moment to remind the city who he was and what he could become.
In 1997, he returned to play for a Magwegwe select side at the Rutz Medicals Horsepower Tournament at Ross Camp, and it was there that he announced himself with a 40-metre thunderbolt against the late Amon Chimbalanga, a goal that sparked rumours, arguments and sudden interest.
Some in the crowd insisted he was a Highlanders junior who had gone to Namibia, and within days the chase was on, with Bulawayo clubs pushing hard to land him before someone else did.
AmaZulu were said to have offered him a $40 000 signing-on fee, but the move to Delma Lupepe’s side collapsed late, after the club director bowed to interest from former President Canaan Banana, who wanted Mwaruwari at his Northern Region Division One team, University of Zimbabwe.
Before boarding his flight to Bulawayo, Mwaruwari said the weight of the badge hit him first, and only then did the reality of the job begin to settle.
“Highlanders is not just any other club, it’s a very big team with a history and legacy one has to respect and ensure results come so that it is preserved. I know what I am getting myself into and I pray for patience to build a team. I come at a time when other teams have taken the best there is but the job has to be done,” he said.
He also spoke about the long road between the boy who dreamed of playing for Bosso’s first team and the man now tasked with rebuilding it, admitting that his career took a direction he did not see coming back then.
“So many times I have been overwhelmed by emotion. After being taken from Magwegwe by Ali Dube, I dreamt of being a star, a player for the first team but I ended up not fulfilling my childhood expectations as I ended up at Lulu Rovers. But here I am today excited about the challenge ahead. I know it is not going to be easy but with the support of AmaBossolona, we will eventually pull through together,” said Mwaruwari.
He returns at a time when Highlanders are under pressure to show clear direction after a slow, noisy off-season, with rival clubs already moving early in the market, leaving Bosso needing quick decisions in recruitment, fitness work and dressing room leadership.
Mwaruwari’s backroom team will be announced this week, but at the club offices yesterday, two familiar faces were already in the room, Mkhokheli Dube and Bruce Tshuma, who have been taking the squad through early sessions.
Dube, a former Bosso striker, was announced as assistant coach, while Tshuma, also a former Highlanders junior, has been handling manager duties and is expected to either be confirmed in that role or return to his previous job as kit manager.
Tinaye Agere