Online Reporter
Onward Gangata
Zimpapers Sports Hub
FORMER Sheasham, Shabanie Mine, TelOne and Chapungu midfielder Frankson Bushiri is dead. He was 34.
Bushiri died on the spot in a road traffic accident in Gweru on Sunday morning, bringing a sudden end to a career that had stretched across more than a decade of top flight and lower division football in Zimbabwe.
Police reports indicate that Bushiri was driving alone from Kwekwe to Gweru when his vehicle veered off the road and struck a tree near Clonsilla, on the outskirts of the city. The impact was severe, and emergency services found him deceased at the scene.
At the time of his death, Bushiri had just completed a move to an undisclosed Central Region Soccer League side based in Kwekwe, a fresh chapter that was meant to extend a career shaped by hard tackles, leadership, and survival in a game that rarely offers guarantees.
Nicknamed “Warrior” by teammates and supporters, Bushiri emerged from Zvishavane, where he was developed at Mimosa FC, now FC Platinum, around 2010. Those early years in the lower divisions hardened him, and he quickly built a reputation as a combative midfielder who did the unseen work in the middle of the pitch.
That reputation carried him through stints with Buffaloes, Shabanie Mine, Chapungu, and TelOne, clubs spread across different eras of the Premier Soccer League. His journey mirrored that of many Zimbabwean professionals, moving where opportunity appeared, often rebuilding after setbacks, always staying in the game.
Last season, Bushiri turned out for Sheasham in the Central Region Soccer League. The Kwekwe side pushed hard for promotion and finished runners up, losing out narrowly to Hardrock in a campaign that restored belief inside the club.
Sheasham confirmed his death in a statement.
“It is with great sadness that we learn of the passing of Mr Frankson ‘Warrior’ Bushiri, who departed from us this morning,” the club said.
“Our deepest thoughts, prayers, and unwavering support are with his family, friends, and all who held him dear during this time of immense grief and loss.”
Sheasham assistant coach Luke Petros, who first worked with Bushiri during his teenage years at Mimosa FC before later linking up with him again, said the news had left him shaken.
“I have known him since he was a schoolboy in Zvishavane when I was in charge of Mimosa FC in the lower divisions,” Petros told Zimpapers Sports Hub. “He was a good lad. To me he was like a son. Our relationship grew over the years, and my last conversation with him was on Saturday when we were talking about plans for the coming season.”
Sheasham chairperson Reginald Chidawanyika said the club had lost more than just a player.
“From the little time that we worked together last season, we have lost a role model,” said Chidawanyika. “He was passionate and he gave everything for the game.” Former TelOne captain Trust Nyabinde, who shared the dressing room with Bushiri during their time at the Gweru club, said the loss was still sinking in.
“It’s devastating. Nobody wants to start the year like this,” Nyabinde said.
“We played together at TelOne for a very long time and had a perfect understanding, he was a fighter who gave his all for the badge, a great team mate to have in the dressing room. I truly enjoyed sharing the locker room with Bushiri. May his soul rest in peace.”
