Bosso, DeMbare to face off

Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
PERENNIAL football rivals, Highlanders and Dynamos are scheduled to square off in a fortnight, this time in a celebratory mood to mark the former’s 90 years milestone.

Bosso@90 celebrations committee chairperson, Luke Mnkandla said they are finalising agreements with the Harare-based giants but DeMbare had verbally agreed to take part in the match earmarked for 11 December at Barbourfields Stadium.

He said they are aiming at making it their closing down event for the club’s 90-year celebrations that officially kicked off with a match against Botswana side, Gilport Lions in February.

“We have engaged Dynamos to come help us mark this big occasion through our acting chairman, Modern Ngwenya and we had received a positive response although we have to put it on paper. We feel it would be a befitting closing ceremony to the celebrations that have traced the club’s history and shown us why Bosso is one of the best sporting institutions in this country,” said Mnkandla.

He added the day will be punctuated by music and dance with various artistes set to entertain the crowds at BF and also at Highlanders Clubhouse. Some of the events held this year include visiting the graves of the club’s founders, brothers Albert and Rhodes Khumalo, a multi-discipline sports festival, exhibiting at this year’s Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, a raffle that saw fans winning original club replicas and visits by schoolchildren to watch Highlanders playing at home.

Highlanders, one of Zimbabwe’s most popular and highly decorated soccer clubs were founded in 1926 by the grandsons of the Ndebele King Lobengula, Rhodes and Albert, and their friends.

In an interview with the Chronicle in 1997, the late Nsele Hlabangana said the team was formed to stave off boredom.

Hlabangana, who was part of the founding team along with his brother Jeremiah and Charlton Ngcebetsha, said the royal grandsons, on arrival from South Africa, found it boring with no social amenities and decided to start the team in Makokoba with the popular venue being Efusini. Highlanders’ name has over the years become associated with professionalism and quality administration and remains one of the few clubs to own club offices and a clubhouse.