Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
AMID the gloom brought by the huge family tragedy that befell them, Ronald Mujuru’s mother Shelly (née Mujeri) said she was surprised to see her son wearing a smile for the first time in close to a week when Dynamos visited his residence in Tynwald North, Harare yesterday.
Mujuru has drawn the attention of the whole country after he lost his entire family, including wife Lilian (40) and kids Nokutenda (15), Makanaka (13), Ronald Jnr (11), Rufaro Shalom (7) and Kayden (3), in an accident along the Masvingo-Harare highway near Chatsworth turn-off last Thursday.
The sheer depth of the loss has seen the whole country commiserating with Mujuru, an ardent DeMbare fan, who rarely misses the Glamour Boys matches.
His family was buried at the family farm, side-by-side, in Wilshire, Chivhu on Easter Sunday, just a day before their scheduled return to Harare from Mberengwa where they were travelling to for a Latterrain Saints Church Conference when the accident ended their lives prematurely.
Dynamos were in action away against Simba Bhora on burial day and observed a moment of silence in memory of their fan’s family and even dedicated the 1-0 win they picked to the Mujuru family’s departed souls.
And yesterday, led by their chief executive officer Desmond Bvute and secretary-general Divine Sena, Dynamos players and officials visited Mujuru to console him.
As they made a beeline from their bus into the home with grief written all over their faces, Mujuru battled to withhold emotions hugging each of them and sadly sobbing.
It felt right like a repeat of the sombre moments that engulfed the family home as the bodies of the deceased made their final journeys to Chivhu last Saturday.
But after gathering in his lounge with prayers being led by cheerleader Chris “Romario” Musekiwa, the atmosphere lightened up, a bit, of course, and Mujuru was able to say thank you to the team. Some of his relatives travelled with him from Chivhu including aunties, uncles and friends, and they could not believe it when Mujuru joined the team in song.
“I am shocked that he was able to really get to jump and smile with the Dynamos players and members of the team executive as well as fans,” said his mother Shelly.
“My heart is broken. I don’t have sufficient words to tell him. I was very close to my daughter-in-law and my grandchildren.
“When I visited here or when they visited me in Chivhu, I knew I would need a lot of strength to be able to withstand them because they would cling to me. All that is now history, I am really struggling to think this is real.
“I am trying all I can to comfort my son. The First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa was here yesterday (on Tuesday) and now the coming of Dynamos has really helped him in what will be a lengthy recovery process.” Mujuru revealed that the visit by Dynamos had brought some relief for him in his darkest hour.
“I am now a bit lighter after seeing Dynamos coming to pay their condolences.
“I feel like a huge lump on my chest has been removed. I am very happy to say the least. You know when you see a team, very close to your heart, a team that is your second home coming to your first home to say sorry, it just means everything . . . ”Apart from handing a significant condolence token to Mujuru, Dynamos have also purchased a season ticket for him.
Sena added that Dynamos would regularly visit the Mujuru residence to help their supporter overcome grief.
“Ronald Mujuru is one of our own.
“We have a season VVIP ticket for him with us and we want to make sure he feels warm in our arms. The situation he is in is very terrible but as Dynamos we will play our part to ensure that everything becomes a bit easier for him,” Sena said.
