Online Reporter
SCORES of mourners have gathered at Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo for a joint funeral service for four Highlanders Football Club members who died in a tragic road traffic accident last Thursday while returning from the club’s Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match against ZPC Kariba.
The service is bringing together Government officials, football administrators, players, supporters, traditional leaders, church leaders and members of the public to pay their last respects to Highlanders chairman Colonel (Retired) Kenneth Mhlophe, vice-chairman Sifiso Siziba, executive committee member responsible for finance Nkani Khoza and club member Mbalenhle Sibanda.
President Mnangagwa accorded the four State-assisted funerals in recognition of their contribution to Zimbabwean football and the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
Following the funeral service, Mr Siziba and Mr Khoza will be laid to rest at Lady Stanley Cemetery this afternoon, while Colonel (Retired) Mhlophe will be buried at the same cemetery on Tuesday. Ms Sibanda will be laid to rest at her rural home in Filabusi.
The deaths of the four Bosso members have plunged Highlanders, the football fraternity and the nation into mourning, with tributes pouring in from across Zimbabwe and beyond.
Follow our live updates from Barbourfields Stadium as the nation bids farewell to the Bosso quartet.
VIPs arrive for Bosso quartet funeral service
Senior Government officials, traditional leaders, football administrators and civic leaders have arrived at Barbourfields Stadium ahead of the joint funeral service for four Highlanders Football Club members who died in a tragic road traffic accident last Thursday.
Among the dignitaries already at the stadium are Bulawayo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Judith Ncube, President of the National Council of Chiefs Chief Mtshane Khumalo, Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) president Nqobile Magwizi, Bulawayo Deputy Mayor Edwin Ndlovu and Bulawayo Town Clerk Christopher Dube.
The dignitaries joined thousands of mourners, Highlanders supporters, football stakeholders and members of the public gathered to pay their final respects to Highlanders chairman Retired Colonel Kenneth Mhlophe, vice-chairman Sifiso Siziba, executive committee member responsible for finance Nkani Khoza and club member Mbalenhle Sibanda.
WATCH: Bosso quartet arrives at Barbourfields for final farewell
A solemn funeral procession carrying the bodies of the late Highlanders Football Club chairman Colonel (Retired) Kenneth Mhlophe, vice-chairman Sifiso Siziba, treasurer Nkani Khoza and club supporter Mbalenhle Sibanda has arrived at Barbourfields Stadium for a joint funeral service.
The four hearses, escorted to the stadium, were met by thousands of mourners, including Government officials, football administrators, traditional leaders, Highlanders supporters and members of the public who gathered to pay their final respects to the Bosso quartet.
United in grief, football family stands as one for Bosso quartet
It was a sea of black and white, punctuated by splashes of blue, green and other club colours, as Zimbabwe’s football family set rivalries aside to unite in grief at Barbourfields Stadium on Monday morning.
Supporters clad in the colours of Highlanders, Dynamos, CAPS United, Bulawayo Chiefs and other Castle Lager Premier Soccer League clubs stood shoulder to shoulder to mourn the tragic loss of Highlanders chairman Retired Colonel Kenneth Mhlophe, vice-chairman Sifiso Siziba, treasurer Nkani Khoza and club supporter Mbalenhle Sibanda.
The blended colours in the packed stadium painted a powerful picture of unity, reflecting the profound impact the tragedy has had on Zimbabwean football.
For a moment, club allegiances gave way to shared sorrow as thousands gathered to pay their final respects to the Bosso quartet, who lost their lives in a road traffic accident on Thursday while returning from Kariba.
The emotional joint funeral service has drawn Government officials, football administrators, traditional leaders, players, supporters and members of the public, all united by a common purpose — to honour four lives devoted to the beautiful game.
The sombre atmosphere has been marked by hymns, prayers, tears and embraces, with the football fraternity demonstrating that, in moments of tragedy, the game transcends competition and becomes one family.
