Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya, [email protected]
BY Saturday afternoon, there will be only one place that matters in Beitbridge.
As the winter sun hangs over the border town and the familiar rhythm of everyday life slows, thousands of football supporters will turn their attention to Dulibadzimu Stadium, where pride, passion and local supremacy will be on the line. The occasion is a Central Region Soccer League derby between
Dulibadzimu United FC and Vhembe Stars FC, a fixture that has already gripped the imagination of football lovers across the town and beyond.
Kick-off is scheduled for 3pm, but the contest will begin long before the referee blows the whistle. In homes, shops, taxi ranks and street corners, conversations have been building all week around a match that means far more than league points. For one afternoon, friendships will be tested, loyalties declared and bragging rights fiercely contested.
Derby matches possess a unique kind of magic. They ignore league positions, dismiss form books and thrive on emotion. This one is no different. It is a clash rooted in local identity, with both clubs drawing support from the same community. Neighbours will find themselves on opposite sides. Workmates will exchange good-natured jibes. Families may even be divided in their allegiance.
For 90 minutes, Beitbridge will become a town split into two camps — Team Dulis and Team Vhembe.
Adding further intrigue to the occasion is the return of a familiar face to the Dulibadzimu United dugout.
The club recently rehired former coach Rutherford Matondo, a move that has injected fresh belief into both the dressing room and the terraces.
His return has been welcomed with considerable excitement by supporters who remember his previous spell at the club fondly. Many view him as the man capable of reigniting Dulibadzimu’s ambitions and restoring their competitive edge.
Matondo will not be carrying that responsibility alone.
Club management has assembled an experienced technical team around him, comprising assistant coach
Polite Begedhe, second assistant Stanley Ncube, data analyst Talent Makwara, goalkeepers’ coach
Herbert Matengu and fitness trainer Fungai Chirinda.
The new-look bench is a clear signal of intent from a club determined to challenge at the highest level.
Club chairman Christian Mawale believes the appointment marks the beginning of an exciting chapter.
“We welcome the return of coach Matondo and we are delighted to have him back and we are confident that his expertise and experience will help us achieve our goals and targets,” he said.
The chairman says the decision to bring Matondo back was carefully considered and driven by more than football results alone.
“We brought him in to assist us mainly because we identified him as someone who values hard work, discipline and the community. He has unmatched passion for the game and a proven track record of building winning programmes.”
Those words have resonated strongly with supporters who have endured an inconsistent campaign and are desperate for a turning point.
Mawale believes the club has assembled the right people to deliver exactly that.
“We are ready to compete at the highest level starting with the Derby on Saturday. We therefore urge all our supporters and the Beitbridge community at large to come in their numbers on Saturday for the epic match,” he said.
Hope can be a powerful force in football, and right now it is flowing freely among the Dulibadzimu faithful. The return of Matondo has rekindled memories of better days and created a sense that perhaps this match could mark the beginning of a revival. A victory over their fiercest rivals would not only delight supporters but also provide a much-needed boost in confidence as they seek to climb the CRSL standings.
Yet football stories are never written by one side alone.
Across town, Vhembe Stars FC have been preparing with equal determination, fully aware of the significance of what awaits them at Dulibadzimu Stadium. They know the atmosphere will be intense.
They know the crowd will be vocal. They also know that opportunities to make a statement do not come much bigger than this.
Vhembe Stars chief executive officer Foster Abheki insists his team will embrace the challenge rather than fear it.
“As Vhembe Stars Academy, our preparations for the game are at an advanced stage. It is our hope for a positive result though in football anything can happen,” he said.
His words reflect the cautious optimism that often surrounds derby football. Form and preparation matter, but emotion and unpredictability often play an equally decisive role.
Abheki acknowledges the enormous anticipation surrounding the fixture and the expectations of supporters eager to celebrate victory.
“It’s a derby, people have mixed feelings but at the end of the day football should be the winner. Our fans have high anticipation of the outcome of the match and our boys have promised not to disappoint but to fulfil their wishes.”
While passions are expected to run high, Vhembe Stars are equally determined to ensure the occasion remains a celebration of football rather than something darker.
Abheki used the build-up to deliver a firm message of peace and sportsmanship.
“We however encourage our supporters to remain calm, we say no to hooliganism, no to violence.
Vhembe Stars is known for its peacefulness; we urge our Supporters to maintain that spirit even when provoked,” pleaded Abheki.
Those words are particularly important because this fixture represents more than simply a battle for three points. Derby matches live long in the memory. Their outcomes shape conversations for weeks and sometimes months. They provide supporters with stories to tell and moments to treasure.
The winner on Saturday will carry not just three valuable points, but also the satisfaction of walking through Beitbridge with heads held high when the new week begins.
With both clubs sharing the same town, the same schools, the same markets and many of the same social circles, familiarity only adds to the intrigue. The players know one another well. Some have played together before. Others grew up competing against each other on dusty grounds long before they ever wore the colours of Dulibadzimu or Vhembe.
That shared history gives the contest an extra layer of intensity.
For Dulibadzimu United, victory would validate the decision to bring Matondo back and offer tangible proof that the club is moving in the right direction. Having struggled for consistency this season, the team desperately needs momentum, and few results would energise a campaign quite like a derby triumph.
For Vhembe Stars, however, the stakes are equally significant.
An away victory at Dulibadzimu Stadium would be a powerful statement of character and ambition. It would demonstrate their ability to thrive under pressure, silence a passionate home crowd and keep their own promotion hopes burning brightly.
As the countdown continues and anticipation reaches fever pitch, one thing is certain: when the gates of Dulibadzimu Stadium open on Saturday, Beitbridge will not simply be watching a football match.
It will be witnessing a battle for local pride, a clash of identities and a contest that has all the ingredients to become the defining derby of the season.
