Bulawayo Wanderers/Eagles legacy to live on

FORMER players of one of Bulawayo’s best remembered football projects, Eagles, have come together and want to promote the club’s legacy.

They have resolved to form an academy that will be based at Number One (Iminyela) which was the centre as a number of players were drawn from the suburb with White City as the home ground.

The fromer players met in Bulawayo at the weekend and made a commitment to keep the legacy alive.

Eagles who were formed in Bulawayo in the mid-1960s as Bulawayo Wanderers, produced some of the best players.

Stars like Mapleni Nyathi, Majuta Mpofu, Doctor Melusi Sibanda, Boy Ndlovu, Tanny Banda, Rahman Gumbo, Collet Dube, Richard Manda, Lucky Dube, Johannes Tshuma, Lazarus Mwambopo, Joseph Ndlovu, Victor Moonsammy, Francis Paketh, Eddie Zimunya, Cosmas Pritchard, Itai Masawi, Jerry Sibanda and Normalisation Committee member Sikhumbuzo Ndebele at one stage donned the club’s colours.

Speaking to Zimpapers Sports Hub on the side lines of the meeting, Jerry Sibanda who is the chairman of the Bulawayo Chapter which covers Zimbabwe, said there was another executive in Johannesburg which has brought the team’s former players together.

Sibanda said they had asked permission to use the names Eagles/ Bulawayo Wanderers from

Sabelo Sibanda, the son of the late Kennedy Sibanda who owned the team’s franchise.

The Johannesburg chapter is led by Collen Ngwenya also a, Eagles former player.

Sibanda confirmed that it was agreed that the Bulawayo committee be the main one as a lot of activities will be centred around Iminyela and White City Stadium.

“Former players saw what happened when Rush (Rahman Gumbo) passed on. We said let’s come together, there are many players we no longer know. We said let’s have a benevolent association as Wanderers Mazhiya Eagles and Sabelo agreed and proposed the establishment of an academy,” said Sibanda.

The former players have a vibrant Whatsapp Group where they reminisce about their days.

One literally feels the nolstagia going through their chats as they talk about their playing days.

There were many oustanding players for Mazhiya as the club was affectionately known in the 1960s and 1970s and these included Dr Sibanda and Majuta Mpofu.

Max Tshuma and Ebson ‘Sugar’ Muguyo were also among the high profile stars who also wore the gold and black kit.

Sibanda said they will soon write to council and ask for permission to lease or to use White City Stadium which was their base.

Among the former players who attended the Crescent Sports Club meeting on Saturday were Masawi, Sam Sibanda, Johannes Tshuma, Felix Tshuma, Anderson Sibanda, Jabulani Gwemende, Joseph Ndlovu, Zenzo Rwodzi and Sikhumbuzo Ndebele.

Sibanda said Sabelo, John Kerr and Trevor Carelse-Juul are the club’s trustees with club legend Boy Ndlovu among advisers. The Bulawayo Chapter has Johannes Tshuma as vice-chairman, Masawi is the secretary-general, Joseph Ndlovu is the treasurer with Zenzo Rwodzi, Vumindaba Mlotshwa and Bishop Moyo as committee members.