Online Reporter
Lovemore Dube, Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Chibuku Super Cup now stands as Highlanders’ only chance to enter their centennial year with silverware. Fittingly, it was the last major trophy the Bulawayo giants lifted, back in 2019 when a Prince Dube stunner sank Ngezi Platinum.
Next year, Highlanders celebrate 100 years in football. That milestone has fired the club’s current crop to push deep into this year’s tournament.
They reached the semi-finals after a stirring comeback win over big spending Scottland and will meet Dynamos next month.
The Chibuku Cup is woven into Bosso’s history. Before 1973, the club, founded in 1926 by Ndebele royalty, had little to show. Their early decades were spent in the Bulawayo African Football Association league and attempts to join the semi-professional ranks failed. By 1969, they had finally entered Division
Two, but promotion to the top flight in 1970 brought a quick relegation.
Everything changed in 1973. Managed by Silas Ndlovu and inspired by the likes of Ananias Dube, Lawrence Phiri, Edward Dzowa, Josiah Nxumalo, Cavin Duberley, Tommy Masuku and Tymon Mabaleka, Bosso defied expectations to win the Chibuku Trophy 3-0 against Mangula (Mhangura). Fans poured into Harare by bus, cars and even a special train to witness the club’s first national triumph.
Overnight, Highlanders were a name of national stature.
The victories kept coming. They crushed Rio Tinto 4-0 to claim the 1980 edition, edged Dynamos 2-1 in 1984 and beat CAPS United 2-1 in 1986.
There were heartbreaks too, with final losses to Salisbury Callies in 1974, Zimbabwe Saints in 1976 and 1988 and Arcadia United in 1985. Still, with seven appearances in the old Chibuku final, four titles in total, Highlanders remain the most decorated club in the tournament’s history alongside Dynamos.
After 1988, the original cup disappeared, returning only in 2014 as the Chibuku Super Cup. Yet the name still stirs legends and memories and Bosso added another chapter in 2019 with their 1-0 win over Ngezi.
Now, with a centenary season looming and no recent trophies, the pressure is on. Supporters showed their hunger when they erupted after the Scottland win.
But Dynamos, who have claimed the Super Cup in 2023 and 2024, stand in the way and carry a psychological edge.
Coach Pieter De Jongh and his players know what is at stake. Another Chibuku triumph would echo the seismic impact of 1973, lift a new generation of heroes and send Highlanders into their 100th year with a trophy to match their proud history.
