Online Reporter
Raymond Jaravaza, Online Reporter
VIRGINIA Sibanda, the widow of the late football legend Rahman “Rush” Gumbo, will be buried on Thursday in Bulawayo, just under two years after the soccer icon’s own death in Botswana back in November 2023.
Virginia, who once stood firmly behind her husband through his glittering career with Highlanders and the Warriors, lost her fight with cancer on Sunday at United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH).
Mourners have gathered at the family home in Sunnyside, 2B Wells Road, where relatives and friends are consoling one another and preparing to lay her to rest.
Family spokesperson Anele Sibanda confirmed that burial will take place on Thursday, though the exact cemetery is yet to be confirmed.
“We are waiting for some family members who are flying in from overseas. The burial will be in Bulawayo, but the final location will be announced soon,” said Sibanda.
In her final days, Virginia’s family made a desperate public plea for help to cover soaring medical bills after a surgery that cost US$15 000.
Her late husband Rahman was given a hero’s send-off at Lady Stanley Cemetery, reserved for Bulawayo’s most distinguished citizens. It remains to be seen if the city will honour Virginia in similar fashion.
The city mourns once again—another chapter closes in a football dynasty filled with love, legacy, and now loss.
Blessing Chizhande