Innocent Kurira, [email protected]
YESTERDAY, the Battle of Zimbabwe brought Highlanders and Dynamos supporters together before it could pull them apart.
The rivalry that will be fierce when the two giants meet at Barbourfields Stadium this afternoon took on a different character yesterday as players and supporters from both camps joined a colourful roadshow that turned the streets of Bulawayo into a football carnival.
It started at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair and moved into the city, with the two sets of supporters singing, dancing and proudly displaying their colours.
Black and white met blue and white.
Bosso supporters sang their songs while the DeMbare faithful chanted club slogans.
Yet, instead of hostility, there was an atmosphere of celebration.
For a city preparing to host one of Zimbabwe’s biggest football fixtures, it was a fitting curtain-raiser to today’s 2:30pm showdown.
“This is beautiful. We are rivals, but today we are celebrating football together,” said one Highlanders supporter Mehluli Ncube.
A Dynamos fan, Tinashe Moyo shared the sentiment.
“When the game starts, we will be rivals again, but today we are enjoying the occasion. This is what football should do, bring people together.”
That spirit is what made the roadshow special.
The Battle of Zimbabwe is traditionally associated with noise, passion, bragging rights and a fiercely contested 90 minutes.
But yesterday, the rivalry briefly took a back seat.
The fans became the attraction.
The streets became their terraces.
And the city became one giant football ground.
Supporters followed the procession, while others stood along the streets to watch the spectacle unfold.
For the younger fans, it was a chance to experience the rivalry in a different setting.
For older supporters, it was another reminder of how deeply Highlanders and Dynamos are woven into Zimbabwe’s football culture.
Today, however, the mood changes.
The friendship at the roadshow gives way to competition when the teams walk onto the Barbourfields pitch.
The unusual 2:30pm kick-off has already generated discussion among supporters, with some admitting that such a start time is not what they are accustomed to for a fixture of this magnitude.
But the consensus is simple: the time will not keep them away.
“The kick-off is different, but people will come,” said another supporter. “This is Highlanders against Dynamos. You don’t need to convince people to watch this game.”
And that is perhaps the beauty of today’s occasion.
For Highlanders, the occasion carries additional significance as the club celebrates its centenary, giving today’s Battle another layer of history.
The roadshow showed that football can unite even the fiercest rivals.
