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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
FORMER Highlanders Rugby Club player Lameck Kasuka was buried at Lady Stanely Cemetery in Bulawayo yesterday. Kasuka died at the age of 49 on Sunday at the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) where he had been confined to a wheelchair for the past 26 years since suffering a horrific spinal injury during a practice session in 1990.
Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) president Nyararai Sibanda, a former teammate of Kasuka at Highlanders, told mourners that his union would take over his friend’s projects to carry on his legacy.
Sibanda, the only notable rugby administrator that attended Kasuka’s funeral service conducted at a packed Beit Hall in Luveve and the burial later on, also challenged former players to take up posts within the structures of the game so that their interests are incorporated.
“Lameck, despite being injured on duty, wanted to show the world that the game was not a deadly sport and tried by all means to push the interests of rugby. His works can never be ignored. As Zimbabwe Rugby Union, we will make sure that every year his tournament is sponsored by ZRU,” said Sibanda.
The late Kasuka formed and ran the Lamsuka Foundation that sponsored rugby tournaments for schools and outreach programmes for health delivery to the less privileged, as well as a variety of other programmes such as the Lamsuka Beauty Contest for nursing students and Lamsuka Breast Cancer Awareness.
Born in a family of four boys and four girls, Kasuka went to Mafakela Primary School in Luveve suburb before enrolling at Luveve High School for his secondary education where he started playing rugby.
He played for Highlanders while in Form 4 at Luveve High School and continued playing for Bosso when he completed his secondary education from 1985 up to the day of his horrific spinal injury in January 1990.
He was admitted at UBH’s Barteley Block, which became his home for 26 years until his passing away last Sunday. “He was ever jovial, a sweet child,” said a nursing sister, who has been based at UBH since 1991.
A number of former rugby players and regional administrators attended the burial, among them Themba Phiri, Brian Arendse, Shadreck Sibanda, Orga Mathaba, Kiziton Muhamba, George Mukorera, Shaun Robinson, a former executive member of the Matabeleland Rugby Football Board (MRFB), as well as Mike Micklesfield, a past president of MRFB.
Staff from UBH, who included management, some of whom had lived with Kasuka since the time of his injury, were also in attendance. Highlanders was represented by the football club vice-chairman Mordern Ngwenya. Kasuka is survived by daughter Patience and granddaughter Gugu.
derick.khumalo