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Veronica Gwaze-Sports Reporter
WHEN the Harare Derby between CAPS United and Dynamos explodes tomorrow at the National Sports Stadium, Roman Catholic priest, Father Paul Mayeresa, will be among the spectators.
In fact, the Harare-based priest, an avid Dynamos follower, has watched most of the blue side’s home matches since its formation in 1963.
When the club was founded, the clergyman was merely 14 and he always found himself in trouble for running away from home to watch their games.
At the time, the club was known as a blackman’s team; an only space where blacks could freely express themselves during the Rhodesian colonial era.
And this is how the Catholic priest developed a ”blue heart”.
“I always made a plan to make it to the stadium, I was committed to facing the consequences after the game,” said Father Mayeresa, who turns 74 this year.
“All DeMbare games meant so much to me and singing with the supporters made me feel so close to the players although derbies were my highlights.”
With the Harare Derby expected to be more explosive this time since its return following the Covid-19-induced disruptions in 2020, Fr Mayeresa is pumped up for the big clash.
He still has fresh memories of how fans always looked forward to the derby back then.
“Any old school Dynamos or CAPS United fan will tell you that since back then, the Harare Derby was our major highlight of the league and we looked forward to it with a lot of unease,” he said.
“Over the years, these teams have been struggling hence losing some fans but I told myself that I will stand with my club and through the hard times I have been there.
“This time I am noticing that some old time euphoria has returned around the derby, conversations are ruling the streets and it actually took me back in time when we always counted down to the day.”
With Dynamos finishing last season on position three with 58 points, 17 behind log leaders and perennial champions FC Platinum, Fr Mayeresa feels DeMbare are regaining their past glory.
He appreciates that the Moses Maunganidze-chaired side is a club that goes through phases.
This, he said, has seen the club struggle in the previous years with the worst being their dismal start to the 2018 Premier Soccer League season in which they only managed two wins in 10 games.
“Dynamos evolve, this is what I have witnessed over the years so basically I have been there through the good and bad times,” said the Catholic priest.
“One thing that has remained the same is how the club embraces and counts on its supporters.
“However, most of the old school supporters are now gone but we have a new crop that has adopted the traditional DeMbare culture.
”Most of the time I sit at the VIP section, just to have a better view of the rest of the ground and marvel at what the supporters will be doing.”
Dynamos have also found themselves in bad light in the past with the club’s supporters turning violent and throwing missiles into the playing field whenever things turn ugly.
The clergyman said back in the day, whenever DeMbare lost or felt cheated, the following morning supporters would refuse boarding the buses of “Salisbury United” into town.
Instead they opted to walk from Mbare, Mufakose, Highfield and other suburbs into town just to express their anger.
Of all the Dynamos matches Fr Mayeresa has watched, the abandoned 1973 Castle Cup match against Wankie stands out for special mention.
At the time, he recalls, a cup final had to be decided in open play, there were no penalties.
“The teams had already played two stalemates and this was the third one, the team that would score first was going to be the winner,” he said.
“That match was very tense, the entire stadium was edgy and emotions were running higher by each passing minute.
“At 87 minutes, it was still goalless and Wankie were awarded a dubious penalty.
“Chaos erupted, we invaded the pitch, the penalty was never taken and there was no winner for the Cup.”
The attitude of expressing bitterness through protests, he said, is a long standing tradition which, however, needs to end.
“We are past the age of violence, let us turn the page and let people enjoy football in peace.
“These supporters that we have today are a third or fourth generation, so it is time to abandon some of these ill cultures.”
The lifelong DeMbare fan reckons the country’s most supported team is suffering from a lack of ‘blue-blooded’ players.
“The team never bought players in numbers in the past, they had a vibrant junior policy, we could see players graduating from the most junior team up to the first team.
“These players had a strong bond with the supporters and this is what we want. As of Sunday (tomorrow), it is a derby but remember we are all Zimbabweans, so there is no need to fight.”
Online Reporter