Chronicle Editor
Lovemore Dube
SILAS Ndlovu the man credited with branding Highlanders FC in 1973 turned 84 last Friday and his family organised a surprise birthday party for him last Sunday.
A few football personalities led by Gibson Homela, Sibekiwe Ndlovu, John Nyumbu, Cosmas Zulu, Themba Ncube, Rodger Muhlwa and Agent Sawu were invited.
Ndlovu took time to jog through Memory Lane about how he took over at Bosso after they were promoted to the elite league in 1972 after finishing second to Rangers FC. Bosso made their debut in the First Division in 1971 and were relegated after amassing a paltry seven points a majority of them won when Ndlovu took over as acting player/coach. He said he made some demands before he took over in 1972.
“When I accepted that position, it was on condition, we want to win games not that it’s a Ndebele team, we just want to win games and I am going to get players regardless of race and tribe. If you allow me to do that I will take up the position.
“I told the Highlanders family that if my experiment fails you can fire me and I don’t want anybody, I will be solely in charge. From there, 1972, in the Second Division it was all nothing but success, that culminated in us winning the first national trophy (Chibuku Trophy 1973),” said Ndlovu.
Highlanders went on to win the regional league and were beaten in the national league play-off by a star-studded Metal Box which had Chita Antonio, Sunday Chidzambwa and striker Oliver Kateya.
With the executive reduced from 15 to five, Ndlovu was allowed to be the British type of football manager who was in charge of technical and administrative matters. He went on the market and got the best there was in what was to be his trade mark between 1973-1976 — going to the market.
“I got players such as Itai Chieza, Chutika Tembo, Bruce Grobbelaar, Boet van Ays and Kennedy Ngulube. They were embraced by the entire Highlanders family, we were winning and they even gave them Ndebele names because they loved them. Van Ays they called him ‘Bhudi Vanas’ not Boet van Ays. I got rid of that mentality that Highlanders is a Ndebele team.”
From 1973 he brought in the likes of Mabaleka, Chutika Tembo, Isaac Mafaro, Isaac Chieza, Grobbelaar, Boet van Ays, Cavin Duberley, Peter Bepe and Stanley Nyika to parade one of the best Bosso sides.
Ndlovu who guided Highlanders to promotion to the First Division in 1972, won the Chibuku Trophy final in 1973, regional titles 1973-74, two national league runners-up, and one national league title and one runners-up spot in the Castle Cup.
“I refused appointment as a national team coach because of interference from the top brass. I don’t remember the year but that was the time Homela later accepted, against my advice. The interference, which Homela, you ask him, I told him, he was the merchandiser at Edgars and I sat him down and told him that I have refused the national coach appointment, you shouldn’t take it because you are going to resign from your position at Edgars and when you get to be national coach you will find interference in selection of the team, your national team, they will say so and so and with that interference you won’t have what you want. Homela went against my advice, took the job and he experienced it and came back to me and he was lucky that Edgars took him back,” said Ndlovu.
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