Gwabalanda: the home of sportsmen, authors and chiefs

GWABALANDA suburb is often mistaken for Luveve, especially Luveve 5, probably because of their similarities. However, these are two different suburbs with the only similarity being that they are both named after chiefs. Luveve is named after Chief Luveve, while Gwabalanda was named in honour of Chief Gwabalanda Mathe.

Chief Gwabalanda Mathe was King Mzilikazi Khumalo’s chief of chiefs, indunankulu. He lived at Mhlahlandlela, and his chieftainship lineage still exists in Umzingwane District. He was the leader of the Amhlophe section and was among those who accompanied the king on his westward journey as far as the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans: utshani bude buseMahalihali, kabutshi nakutsha, bothi nyakana butshayo, buyokutsha nemitsha yamadoda. These lines are an excerpt from King Mzilikazi Khumalo’s praises which demonstrate that the king went as far as the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans in present-day Botswana.

Gwabalanda residents, present and past, must not take the name of their suburb lightly. Its owner was a renowned and respected leader in the royal shrine. Over the years, a number of respected persons have lived in this suburb while some still live there. Well-known individuals within the city and even outside our borders have lived in Gwabalanda. Despite all the popularity, few may be aware that such folks once lived or still live in Gwabalanda.

For instance, some may not be aware that Ko J Themba Supermarket and Butchery, which opened in 1977, are owned by the late former Highlanders president Jonathan Themba Mhlanga. He was also a well-known public relations guru. His son Lenox is also a well-known figure. Mhlanga passed away on September 15, 2016, at Premier Hospital in Hillside. Lenox told this publication that they will choose to celebrate a life lived as the old man had indeed rested. He was 81.

The last coach to lead Bosso to league title glory in 2006, Methembe Ndlovu comes from Gwabalanda so is the club’s former skipper, who made history by captaining both the Under-23 and senior national team while at the same time leading Bosso, Thulani Biya Ncube.

Gwabalanda is home to many talented individuals who have made a name for themselves in various fields.

Another Highlanders legend, Zenzo Moyo, originally from Makokoba, later moved to Gwabalanda after buying a house there through proceeds from his forays in the field of play.

Tennis ace Patrick Mlauzi, the first National Tennis Development (NTD) member to win a scholarship to the United States of America, hails from Gwabalanda. NTD spearheaded the spread of tennis from being an elite sport reserved for the minority to previously underprivileged communities. It was founded by the late Larry Katz. Mlauzi completed two master’s degrees and remained in the US. Today he and his family live in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he is a vice-president at Wells Fargo. Many more NTD youngsters joined Mlauzi in the US over the years, some coaching in prestigious clubs and landing jobs across the globe, from the United Kingdom to New Zealand.

Mkhalalwa Ndlovu, known within Highlanders circles as Bhibhiza, was part of the advance party for Highlanders’ home and away matches. For a team that believed in traditional rituals, it was also his duty to carry out those errands on behalf of Amahlolanyama. However, on the morning of August 12, 2000, he was accused of turning into a Judas Iscariot for 30 pieces of silver. Mkhalalwa Ndlovu is alleged to have been busted by former Bosso committee member Liqhwa Gama doing strange things early that morning. He was allegedly found “burying” a pregnant cat just before a titanic battle with then expensively assembled city rivals AmaZulu. Talk is that a former respected club legend was the emissary between Usuthu and Bhibhiza.

A heated argument ensued between Bhibhiza and Gama, who demanded answers as that’s not what the executive had planned to do.

Bhibhiza was immediately fired and accused of being a sell-out.

“Gama knew nothing about some behind-the-scenes things we did as izigijimi zethimu. I tried to explain to him that what I was doing was according to instructions of abadala (the board) and one particular board member (name supplied) had given me specific instructions about what should be done. Despite all this, he (Gama) refused to listen to me and said ngingumthengisi, ngithanda imali, yet despite his shocking claims we went on to beat AmaZulu 3-2 and marched to the league title,” Bhibhiza told Chronicle during an interview at his house in Gwabalanda two decades later.

Chronicle Online News Editor Temba Dube, known as SaBunandi in the newsroom, is Gwabalanda native, so is former proofreader for the publication Matthew Dlamini, now based in Namibia.

Moving Encyclopedia and a doyen of history, Phathisa Nyathi is another respected Gwabalanda resident as well as traditional leader Chief Gampu.