By Lovemore Dube
Zimpapers Sports Hub
BULAWAYO – For years, Iminyela was the subject of jokes, crime stories and tales of street survival.
Today, however, the suburb has a new story to tell.
It’s a story of two football stars who have become the pride of the community and are flying Zimbabwe’s flag high in Cameroon with the senior national team.
Highlanders midfield magician Mongameli “Smolla” Tshuma and goalkeeper Aaron Ngwenya have turned the spotlight on Iminyela for all the right reasons.
The pair’s rise to prominence has transformed conversations in the suburb from old jokes about churches and crime to dreams of national glory and football stardom.
Former AmaZulu star and respected football mentor Abedi Nyoni, who now runs the Melz Eagles junior development project in the suburb, says the entire community is celebrating the success of the two stars.
“I am happy because we are trying to revive football in the suburb. The football family grows, it never falls,” said Nyoni.
Long before Nyoni became one of Bulawayo’s most exciting midfielders during his AmaZulu days in the early 2000s, Iminyela was known for producing a handful of sporting stars.
The suburb was associated with Bulawayo Wanderers, White City sports activities and boxing tournaments at Iminyela Hall. But it also battled a reputation for violent crime, with stabbing incidents once common in the area.
Now football is changing that narrative.
According to Nyoni, the exploits of Tshuma and Ngwenya have injected fresh hope into the community and inspired a new generation of youngsters.
The suburb has produced talented footballers before, including former striker Victor Moonsammy, famous for his pace and cheeky finishing, as well as Robson Muchichwa, who later featured for South African side Qwaqwa Fairway Stars, which became Free State Stars.
But few would have predicted the meteoric rise of Tshuma.
The young midfielder arrived at Highlanders from Hwange at the start of the season as an unknown skinny youngster nicknamed “Smolla” because of his small frame.
Many doubted he would survive at the country’s biggest football institution.
Instead, he has stunned critics with dazzling displays, earning rave reviews, national team call-ups and admiration from coaches and supporters across the country.
Ngwenya’s rise has also been remarkable.
For years he was viewed simply as a talented Bulawayo goalkeeper with plenty of potential, but questions lingered over whether he could take his game to the next level.
This season he has answered those critics with a string of impressive performances between the posts for Highlanders.
