adminBEN Makadzange, a former Manicaland, Meikles, Olympics and Zimbabwe Saints FC defender quit the Super League at the age of 26 when he had just been considered for the national team. He was forced to choose between football and a job that was to later leave him without one of his limbs – being a train driver.
Makadzange, like many who played the game during the 1970s and 1980s, has no regrets for his choice of a job with the railways.
Football then did not pay well and he looked at the broader picture and security for the young family that he had started.
Soccer in those days, he recalls, was just a pastime. It was played for the passion of the game and to continue hanging around with some of those that one would have grown up with.
He admits though that it gave one fame but without the dollar sign attached to one’s brilliance on the pitch, that counted for nothing.
“I was on top of my game having moved from Zimbabwe Saints to Olympics. A job switch from Meikles to work as a fireman at the National Railways of Zimbabwe in 1983 cost me a career that was blossoming. John Rugg, the then national team coach, had just considered me for squad training and I was looking forward to it.
“But then at the NRZ it was not so easy. Awkward working hours meant I would not be able to attend training regularly. This even affected my availability for matches as the job was a Sunday to Sunday thing. Eventually I hung up my boots at the age of 26,” said Makadzange.
When he called it a day in 1983, he was bitter though not to have a major medal, the Rothmans Shield, won by Olympics then coached by Barry Daka.
It was a great team with players like Patrick Ncube, Boyce Malunga, Roland Papaya, Mike Mhlanga and legend Tito Paketh. A 3-1 flogging of Caps United in the final got tongues wagging about a team which had promised so much in 1977 when it broke away from Highlanders with some of Bosso and the country’s biggest names then.
“I missed picking up a medal with Olympics because I could not get time off at the NRZ. I lost what would have been something to savour and show my children and grandchildren because of that but nonetheless there are some from my days at Zimbabwe Saints that I will always cherish,” said the 1977 league and cup double winner with Chikwata.
The 56-year-old’s football career started off in Mzilikazi suburb, the city’s hub of arts and soccer when he attended Mzilikazi Primary School in the mid-60s.
“I was with guys like Willie and Kainoti Luphahla at Mzilikazi though we were in different classes. We played football together both at school and in the suburb with Lobengula Primary School’s the late Augustine Lunga and Msitheli Sikhosana both of whom played for Highlanders. We were the hottest school in Bulawayo. Induba of Pelandaba were good too,” said the man many called Bunny because of his love for music by Bunny Wailer, the reggae star.
From Mzilikazi he went to Gloag in Bubi District where he played for the school team as a midfielder. He said there was a lot of talent at the school but sadly most of the players who were by far better than those he played with in Bulawayo did not make it into the big leagues.
By the time he was in Form Three, Makadzange would play for Manicaland FC, a team that played in the lower divisions of the regional league and was managed by his father, Fred.
It was coached by Howard Maviza, one of the best coaches to work at Zimbabwe Saints.
They played against clubs like Ngwalongwalo, Bulawayo Rockets, Rex and Black Horrors.
Soon after school he moved to Meikles where he played with the late Titus Majola, Teddy Nyoni, Joseph Ndlovu and Zebron Magorimbo.
“That was a good team. One of the motivating factors was that the team used to offer employment and we had good games against lower division clubs like Old Miltonians whose stars included Boyce Malunga, brothers Neil and Allan Boonzaier and Tito Paketh, among some of the best players to play in the South Zone Soccer League.
“One of my most memorable matches was when we beat Old Miltonians 2-1 when I partnered Joseph Ndlovu at the heart of defence. It was a tough match and we had Arthur ‘Cobra’ Makombe on the right side,” said Makadzange.
Makombe was to make a name for himself at Eagles after Independence as a no-nonsense wingback.
Makadzange said the influence of Philemon Dangarembwa, a Saints player from his neighbourhood in Mzilikazi, led him to move to Saints in the 1977 season.
“He was more like a brother and we stayed in the same neighbourhood. The team was coached by Tendai Chieza with Peter Dera as manager. A Mr Mutungwazi was chairman then and things were smooth at the club and we enjoyed good support,” said Bunny.
He said he was happy to have won the league title in his debut season in the then Rhodesia National Football League and his first cup triumph.
“It was great joining a team whose confidence was high following their 4-0 demolition of Highlanders in the Chibuku Trophy final of 1976. So winning the Castle Cup 2-1 against Dynamos in my first year at the top was a great achievement and I was tasked to mark Edward Katsvere. He was a skillful dribbler and was intelligent too,” said Makadzange.
Bunny conceded that during his playing career he had faced some of the best wingers. He said nowadays there were few talented players who would match the likes of Hwange’s David “Dididi” Khumalo, Boy Ndlovu, the late maestro Majuta Mpofu, Doubt Sithole and Mike Abrams.
Of all he says his most difficult opponent was the bulky late Highlanders dribbling wizard Majuta Mpofu.
Another fiery man he had come across was Isaac Mafaro.
“He was fast and aggressive towards goal,” said Makadzange.
Life at Zimbabwe Saints, he said, was not easy as there were too many star defenders. He had to contend with the competition of the late Isaac Banda, Stephen Chuma, Gibson Homela, Dangarembwa, Ephraim Moloi, the late Emmanuel Sibanda, Lucky Rufani and Tony Machado.
“I once captained Saints and I enjoyed playing under Trevor Macmillan but I will always remember winning the 1977 championship as one of the highs of my career, that brought me fame,” said Makadzange.
As politics started to take its toll in the administration of Saints in June 1982, Dangarembwa and Makadzange moved to Olympics.
He said they wanted to play football in a peaceful environment as then under the chairmanship of Gibson Homela there was instability at the club.
Another factor Makadzange said had weighed heavily in his decision to join Olympics was the fact that there were a number of players from Mzilikazi like Paketh, the late Fortune Zengeni, Chris Gwangwara who combined well with the likes of Roland Papaya, Amos Sango, Mike Mhlanga and the late Patrick Ncube.
He described Barry Daka as having been an exemplary player/coach who led the club from attack as a player.
About not playing in the final of the Rothmans Shield in his last months in the game, he said that was one of the darkest moments of his career and had influenced his decision to retire.
“It was frustrating. Caps United were an exciting team that attracted national attention and had great players like the late Shaky Tauro, Joel Shambo, Stanley Ndunduma, Stix M’tizwa, Charles Sibanda and Friday Phiri.
“I badly wanted to be there and play against them, they were the top players in the land and when it dawned on me that I would miss more of such a match I decided to retire when I could have played a couple of years. We went into that game as underdogs and very few gave us a chance to win and I was happy to hear we had won the match,” said Makadzange.
He believes the national teams of the 80s were stronger as there was a lot of talent to choose from. He said coaches had a torrid time coming up with their final teams as there were just too many talented players around.
Makadzange said there was a need to invest in junior football structures as the future of the game lies there.
One of Makadzange’s most memorable matches was when they came from 3-1 down to force a 3-3 result against Hwange.
He said they then wanted the match ended because of the curfew so that they would leave Hwange Town early.
The idea was to have the replay played in Bulawayo but Saints went on to win 5-3 with Makadzange making it 4-3 before Andrew Kadengu sealed the coal miners’ fate in the cup game.
On Olympics, he said it was a project that had like Bulawayo Wanderers (Eagles) suffered from poor sponsorship.
On AmaZulu, he said Delma Lupepe had done well to change the football landscape in the country by introducing professionalism.
He said the rivalry that existed between Dynamos and Zimbabwe Saints and Chikwata and Bosso was a football spectacle that had been lost with time.
“The atmosphere was electric, stadia were always full and the build up and matches top drawer. We miss that in our game nowadays,” said the former Saints stalwart.
Playing alongside Max Tshuma, Dangarembwa, Magorimbo and Douglas Maneto was good for his nerves at Chikwata as all came from Mzilikazi.
Makadzange is married and has three children and retired from the NRZ on medical grounds after an accident on the Bannockburn to Triangle line left him with one arm.
Online Reporter