admin
HIGHLANDERS FC kick start their year-long 90 years celebrations with an official launching ceremony at Barbourfields Stadium today.
Celebrations committee chairperson Luke Mnkandla said all was in place for today’s event and urged people to be part of the festivities to mark the great milestone by filling up the venue.
It will be a full day’s programme that will see three matches being played while more entertainment is lined up for the evening.
The event kicks off in the morning with two processions that will involve drum majorettes, artistes, footballers, officials and fans.
“This is a great milestone for the club and we want people to come in their numbers and celebrate with us. The event is open to all, to everyone and we urge all former players, former officials, supporters and all those who have been involved with the club to attend the event.
“Besides football there will be entertainment throughout the day while there is a lot of Highlanders merchandise that will be on sale,” said Mnkandla.
Sport and Culture Minister, Makhosini Hlongwane will be the guest of honour.
The main match of the day will see Highlanders taking on Gilsport Lions of Botswana in the Highlanders Royal Cup while in another game, Bosso’s reserve team will square off against Tsholotsho with Highlanders’ ladies team, the Royals expected to feature in the first match.
The street marches will begin at 9am with one starting at Mpopoma High School heading to BF while the other one will leave the club house moving into Joshua Nkomo Street, turning right at 6th Avenue before proceeding to BF through Ngcebetsha Road, which is named after Charles Ngcebetsha, one of the club’s founding players.
Mnkandla said the Highlanders big day will be punctuated by football and entertainment throughout the day with stalls being set up where Bosso merchandise ranging from cups, T-shirts, umbrellas and plates, would be on sale.
Hlongwane will deliver the keynote speech at 11am with club chairman; Peter Dube also scheduled to address the gathering along with Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa who is expected to grace the occasion.
A church service will be held in the morning with various denominations already having pledged to be part of the ceremony.
Entry into the celebrations will be through donations, with the minimum amount set at $1 and if one is not wearing club colours they pay $5 while those who want to sit in the VIP will also have to fork out the same amount.
Mnkandla said the event will pave way for various other activities that will take place throughout the year that include dinner dances, exhibitions at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, a music show and a compilation album that will feature songs on Highlanders composed by various artistes over the years.
Highlanders is one of Zimbabwe’s most popular and highly decorated soccer clubs which was founded in 1926 by grandsons of the Ndebele monarch King Lobengula, Rhodes and Albert.
Speaking in an interview with the Chronicle in 1997 one of the team’s founding players, the late Nsele Hlabangana said the team was formed to starve off boredom.
Hlabangana, who was part of the founding team along with his brother Jeremiah and Ngcebetsha, said the royal grandsons on arrival from South Africa found it boring with no social amenities and decided to start the team in Makokoba and they used to play at a place named Efusini.
The team initially wore a red uniform in line with their name Red Lions at the time but changed to the now famous black and white strip in 1937.
In 1975 the team dropped Matabeleland from its name at the behest of the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo who had always spoken out very strongly about the use of tribal names for sporting teams.
In 1980 Bosso won the first post-independence Chibuku Trophy and the Heroes Cup.
Highlanders FC were the first Zimbabwean club to visit a foreign country when they undertook an emotional tour of Zambia where they met some Zimbabweans who had stayed behind in that country.
The team has over the years produced quality players that have gone on to hog the limelight on the international scene with Peter Ndlovu being among the greatest strikers to emerge from the club and remains one of the longest serving African players in the English Premier League.
Highlanders’ name has over the years become associated with professionalism and quality administration and remains one of the few clubs to own club offices and a clubhouse although the facilities are currently in a undesirable state.
Online Reporter