admin
Lovemore Dube Sports Editor
ON Tuesday Majuta Mpofu with his bags of tricks that made him a household name dribbled his markers for the last time with his last breath.At the age of 63 he still had a lot to contribute to the game that gave him fame, but certainly not fortune.
When the Maker decides to promote one to a higher place it is a command one cannot ignore, reverse or modify. It is 100 percent compliance and befittingly, the nation and thousands beyond our borders were thrown into mourning.
Mpofu is regarded as one of the best dribblers ever seen in this country. Latter generations will mention Vitalis Takawira, the late Tutani Moyo, Mike Abrahams and Tanny Banda yet many put his age mates Daniel “Dididi” Ncube, Robert Godoka and David “Dididi” Khumalo nowhere near his genius.
I had the pleasure of watching him turn out for Bulawayo Wanderers later Eagles and Highlanders. What he did with the ball was just incredible. He made defenders look so ordinary including those who made it into the national team and Soccer Star of the Year finalists.
“Jujuju” as fans called him was in a class of his own.
It was the telepathic understanding that he developed with the likes of Josiah Nxumalo, Tymon “Whitehorse” Mabaleka and Mark “Juluka” Watson that made him a darling of thousands.
Because of his lack of pace, he would beat one man and go for the other, allow them to recover and end up tussling with up to five men while he juggled the ball and with his stamina fend them off challenges and let go a pass to an unmarked teammate.
He dribbled so well without putting any effort and those who played with him said he was never one to train consistently. Tricky or truant many failed to describe or understand him. It was in his nature even off the field up to his death.
Few understood him. If you said to someone there is lots of football in his head you would be instantly dismissed. I remember after writing the profile of one of the first black athletes to represent Zimbabwe at the Olympics, Mathias Kanda, I hooked up with him in the 1990s.
When I introduced myself to him, in a jocular manner, he asked me two reasons why a footballer kicks the ball. He said he would not grant me an interview if I did not give him a satisfactory answer.
In my naivety I answered that it was to pass and defend. The answer was wrong and it took me a decade to get him down for a Blast from the Past interview.
The correct answer he wanted is that you kick the ball to pass and to score.Anything else was absolutely hogwash to him. I saw sense in his reasoning, every time I met him or shared a lunchtime chat with him and Limukani Ncube, Editor of B-Metro, I was often left enlightened about the game.
It was in him to mock anything about our game. He had no respect for the present day coaches because they did not teach good basic skills, technique and tactics.
All the games he had attended were yawns that forced him to stay away from the game. As for the administrators his world revolved around the old guard Ndumiso Gumede, Advocate Kennedy Sibanda, the late Nelson Chirwa, Morrison Sifelani, Douglas Mkwananzi and Peter Nemapare. But unfortunately they could not be in power, he was ever keen to know each and every administrator’s playing history every time there was change of power at Highlanders or Zifa.
We grew to be close friends in the last decade and once in a while we would meet. But he was ever full of intrigue to an extent that while you read sense into what he said, you wondered whether as a coach, players would understand his abstract theories.
Because of his elegance on the pitch, fans got so passionate about him so much that every time a fire tender pulled down to work at a burning house, residents forgot about the pending calamity. They would roar “Juu…jujuju….Juuuuuu..jujuju” even to an extent of endangering their own lives at times when the inferno threatened to go out of control according to a soccer lover King Homela.
A Highlanders line up with Majuta often led to violence. Whether he had trained or was injured fans would be happy to see him play 30 seconds and limp off as he was so unpredictable which is the aspect of football so missing in today’s displays.
At times he would lie low and at the dearth of the game conjure some magic moment to tilt the result in Bosso’s favour.
Majuta love him, hate him delivered on the pitch. There were days he would find the team already doing ball work at training. He would jog, let them indulge in 11 v 11 match situations, take up to six boys and play umareyitshana labo, One v Six and still win.
In a flash his coaches would see his silhouette figure in the setting sun’s rays disappearing into Matshobana or Barbourfields suburbs. No matter how loud they shouted, he would not return.
Come Sunday he would turn on a man of the match performance. If asked what happened at the last training session his answer would be he had to go back to the Fire Brigade where he worked.
“I remember one time we had just driven past Kadoma on our way to a match in Harare when Majuta said he had left his football boots behind in Bulawayo. That was not the first time he had done that and coaches would have no option but to take another player’s and give him to use and you would see wonders on the field,” said former Bosso player, manager and chairman Ernest Sibanda.
Sibanda described Majuta as the most talented footballer he has ever played with.
His coach at Bulawayo Wanderers, Chris Mhlanga, described Majuta as a genius whose talents should have conquered the world.
“It’s a pity we are a Third World country and we did not have technology. We could be playing his highlights on television, I can’t stop playing them in my head,” said Mhlanga of the former dribbling wizard whose skills attracted the attention of Kaizer Chiefs and Brazil.
Jotham Moyo who played as a defender for Bulawayo Rockets during the South Zone days described Majuta’s skills as worth any league in the world.
“Had he been born nowadays, Majuta would have played anywhere in the world, as he had great talent. It’s sad to lose such a friend at an age he could still have been of use to the game,” said Moyo known as Big Joe during his days.
His other passion was boxing. He boxed a lot at clubs, sparred with the late Kilimanjaro. One time after watching Thamsanqa Dube, the Zimbabwe heavyweight champion, he made it his business the following Monday to pass by at Chronicle.
“Nxx wena mfana do you know a heavyweight boxer, uThamsanqa is not a heavyweight boxer ngumfana osuthiyo who needs to train and fight may be as a cruiserweight or light heavyweight,” said Majuta.
Every time I challenged him to get a club to coach he always said there was no longer good enough material to work with due to the decaying culture of plastic balls and youth club sport.
If as a fan and friend I had to deal with defending every time I met him, as he would put my mind to test with a wry joke or assertion, one can imagine what defenders went through on the field against this giant.
Indeed Bulawayo has lost a genuine legend, not a one year or two year wonder but a spectacle that made football stay the beautiful game it is.
There is no doubt in my mind and that of Zifa chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze, that as Zifa celebrate 50 years of existence, Majuta would have been part of the 50 best players and administrators to grace the list.
He will be laid to rest at West Park Cemetery this morning, bringing to an end an eventful 63 years, that he has left soccer lovers fond memories of the days when football was a joy to watch.
Jujuju lalangokuthula kwabeMazhiya leBosso leMuli yakoMpofu alwehlanga lungehlanga.
Online Reporter