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Sharuko on Saturday
THE pictures on his Facebook page highlighted a common thread – his enduring romance with top-of-the-range cars.
A Rolls Royce here, a R2,7m Range Rover V8 Hse Dynamic Sports Lumma there, a Jeep Cherokee here, a Mercedes Benz G-Wagon there.
The message was very simple and clear – Obert Karombe had struck a jackpot, made it and was now living his dream.
Not bad for a hustler from Mutare who had struck gold, in the City of Gold, where he had transformed himself into the Boss of the Bosses.
Kempton Park was his neighbourhood, his playground, his adopted home, the cathedral where he paraded his range of beautiful vehicles, a home far away from home.
In the beginning, his home was Mutare.
The border city in the heart of Manicaland, a settlement of such amazing beauty it embraces you in its arms and blows you away with its remarkable sights and beautiful sounds,
Now, he was one of the big boys of Johannesburg, the guy from a small town who had found a way to make big money in the big city, the economic heartbeat of South Africa.
I didn’t know Boss Obby.
A poor man like me didn’t play in the fast lane of the life he lived, the one he chose, the one which fate gave him, where he belonged to the class of individuals called Mbingas.
His death, in a horrific road crash this week, introduced him to me and, just like everyone who was touched by the way his life came to such a tragic ending, I started to try and find out what sort of a man he was.
The social media pages tend to always give a clue.
And, going through his Facebook page, it quickly became very clear that he was a man who really loved fast and luxurious cars.
Then, I picked something else.
He was a devoted Manchester City fan and he posted a number of images, to celebrate the Citizens, as and when they did well.
Ten years ago, he must have enjoyed the way his Citizens won the league championship in style, with Sergio Aguero scoring the winner, which was the title-decider, with virtually the last touch of the ball.
That last-gasp win over Queens Park Rangers meant that City ended with the same number of points (89), as Manchester United, but the Citizens took the title because of a superior goal difference.
For the first time in the history of the English Premiership, the championship race was decided by goal difference.
It was City’s first league title, since 1968, and laid the foundation for the club to dominate the domestic football scene, with both ruthlessness and, of course, a bit of cockiness.
By February 2014, City’s transformation from a sick club, living in the huge shadow of their powerful neighbours Manchester United, into one now sharing the stage with some of the world’s greatest clubs, was now complete.
That’s the month, and year, when Lionel Messi’s Barcelona rolled into town, for a Champions League showdown against the Citizens.
Of course, Barcelona won that game, with Messi and Dani Alves both on target, in a 2-1 victory for the Catalan giants.
But, there was more to this game, especially for City, the result was just a small part of the story.
“Fifteen years ago, City played Macclesfield in Division Two, now it’s a Champions League clash against the Brilliant Barcelona,” noted journalist Ian Ladyman in the Daily Mail newspaper.
“Whatever happens, Tuesday night’s Champions League tie against Barcelona is a landmark occasion and to understand just where City are in their evolution, it’s important to understand where they have come from.
“Fifteen years ago this week, for example, City played Macclesfield in the then equivalent of a League One game at the old Maine Road.
“And 10 years ago, although they were in the Premier League, they were labouring in the midst of a run that yielded two wins in 22 games.
“They finished fifth from bottom. Five years ago, more startlingly, they had just survived a brush with bankruptcy.”
But, it’s a different and richer City now.
They are one of the world’s top two clubs, with Liverpool being the other, and have one of the best two coaches in the world, with Liverpool having the other.
City also probably have one of the two best footballers in the world today, Kevin de Bruyne, while Liverpool, in Mohammed Salah, have the other.
City’s stunning transformation, from being a second-rate club, which even featured in the third-tier league in England, into one of the most powerful clubs in the world, probably captured the interest of Boss Obby.
I would like to believe the Citizens’ Cinderella story, in which they dragged themselves from the very bottom to the very top of their world, must have provided some sort of inspiration for Boss Obby.
I would also like to believe that the way money, from the United Arab Emirates, played a huge role in turning around City’s fortunes, inspired Boss Obby that real cash can move mountains.
In a way, it probably reflected his life, how he had risen from a humble background in Mutare to a rich man, who was living the life of his dreams, in Johannesburg.
FIFTEEN IS THE NUMBER
Boss Obby’s death has sparked a lot of speculation as the country struggles to try and understand this Mbinga who was not as famous as Ginimbi.
Suddenly, we have been presented with a guy we didn’t know, in his life, and who we are not trying to know, in his death.
Boss Obby appeared to play far away from the circles where our usual dealers, who are said to be making lots of money smuggling fuel and other dirty arts, parade their riches.
His strange custom-made coffin has fed into the conspiracy theories, which have greeted his death, and his burial during the night, has been adding fuel to the raging fire.
Was he fated to die in such a tragic manner, others have been asking, did he know he was going to die, given he appeared to have ordered a custom-made coffin and why does the number 15 keep stalking him?
Of course, now and again, lightning strikes cattle but, some are now questioning, why is it that when it struck his Beatrice Farm, on Christmas Day, two years ago, the number of cows killed had to be 15?
Why is it that exactly 15 months, when one counts the number of months from the day lightning struck (which means counting from December 26 to January 26, as a month), 15 months passed between then and his death?
If he had lived up to Tuesday, this week, 16 months would have passed but, as fate would have it, he died last weekend.
Why is it that James Buchanan, who was the 15th president of the United States, remains the only American president who was not married and, interestingly, he was an active Freemason?
Why is it that his successor, Abraham Lincoln, died on February 15, 1865, and some historians have tried to provide some Freemasonry links to his assassination?
Queen Elizabeth I was crowned Queen of England on January 15, 1559, Julius Caesar was murdered on March 15, 44 BC and there are 15 Original Mysteries of the Rosary.
Hosea, often dubbed a “prophet of doom” bought a prostitute for 15 shekels of silver and 15 days after a Pope dies, the Conclave, the College of Cardinals, meet to elect a new Pope.
The number 15 is used 42 times in the Bible, the number 24000 is used 15 times in the Bible, the word passion is used 15 times in the New Testament.
The word Satan is mentioned 15 times in the Old Testament.
And, it should interest you that the Hillsborough disaster, British football’s worst tragedy, which claimed 97 lives, and left 766 others injured, happened on April 15, 1989.
The youngest player, to ever feature for Boss Obby’s Manchester City, was Glyn Pardoe who was 15, when made his debut against Birmingham City, in April 1962.
City have won seven English Premiership and seven Championship titles and, should they add another championship this season, as is widely expected, the Citizens will make it 15 titles in England’s two top leagues.
IT’S NOW 15 YEARS SINCE YOGI ENDED THE LONG WAIT
Manchester City’s name was mentioned this week, in domestic football, during Tonderai Ndiraya’s post-match briefing at the National Sports Stadium, after a 1-0 win over Manica Diamonds.
Ndiraya was unhappy that a lot of emphasis, after the match, centred on what was being perceived as the negativity of his team’s performance, rather than their latest victory.
“People are always entitled to their opinion but I think what is important for me as a coach is the result,” said Ndiraya.
“How you get it is another issue, there are those who can pass the ball around until I don’t know when, that’s their style of playing.
“This is what I believe in, we are not Manchester City, we are Dynamos and when you work for this institution, what is important in the end is the result.
“I haven’t seen in the whole world where fans or supporters celebrate passing the ball 100 times and then in the end come out with a draw or defeat.
“So, in the end, what is important in football is the result and it is what we got today, how we got it, if you ask me as a coach, I really don’t mind.”
This has created quite a storm, with some critics and fans saying football is about entertainment and, while the ultimate mission is to try and win silverware, it shouldn’t come at the expense of style.
We now live in an era where fans are exposed to quality football, especially on television, as they watch some of the big leagues of Europe, on a regular basis.
This exposure has set a benchmark, among the fans, of what to expect from a football game. But, to expect the local clubs, and their players, to play at the level, which we see coming from the likes of Manchester City, is a journey into fantasy, so far away from reality.
To understand what Tonde is trying to do at the Glamour Boys, it’s important for us to revisit the immediate past, where this club is coming from.
It’s important for us to take a step backwards and, rather than indulge in the fantasy that these Glamour Boys should be playing a passing game like City, we have to confront the reality that they don’t have the quality of personnel to play, and entertain, in that fashion.
We need to appreciate that, for all of the players in Tonde’s squad today, being signed by non-league English sides like Altrincham, Bath City, Scarborough and Kettering Town, who play in the National League, will be celebrated as a huge achievement.
We need to appreciate that this Dynamos is not the DeMbare we used to know, in the past, which used to combine both substance and entertainment, thanks to artists like Edward Katsvere, Moses Chunga and Edward Katsvere.
We need to appreciate that it was a huge statement that someone like Chunga could be invited for trials at two-time European champions, Nottingham Forest, to be assessed by one of the greatest coaches of all-time, the late Brian Clough.
We need to appreciate that while, back then, Dynamos had players who could attract the attention of two-time European champions, right now, it’s very unlikely any of their players can squeeze into the Kaizer Chiefs team, for all the madness in the struggling Amakhosi camp.
We need to appreciate that Ndiraya took over a Dynamos which is enduring its second longest barren run, without winning a league championship, in the club’s 59-year history.
They have not won the league in EIGHT years and, should they not win it by the end of next season, they would have matched their worst run, without being crowned champions, in their history.
That was between 1997 and 2007.
We need to appreciate the ailing patient which Tonde was handed, to stabilise it, one which has been in the Intensive Care Unit, since Callisto Pasuwa left, after winning four titles, on the trot.
This is a Dynamos which finished four points behind Chicken Inn, in 2015, when the Pasuwa effect was still being felt in the team.
Then, in 2016, this Dynamos finished fifth, seven points adrift of champions CAPS United, in 2017 they finished second, two points behind champions FC Platinum.
In 2018, DeMbare finished in 11th place, a massive 36 points behind FC Platinum, just five points above the club occupying the last relegation slot, Nichrut.
Bulawayo City and Nichrut, who were both relegated that season, scored more goals than those Glamour Boys.
In 2019, DeMbare finished in ninth place, 18 points adrift of champions FC Platinum, and scored fewer goals than Herentals, Harare City, Bulawayo Chiefs and Yadah Stars.
To add to their embarrassment, they even scored fewer goals than three teams which were relegated — TelOne, Hwange and Mushowani Stars. That’s what we have to appreciate, the reality that Dynamos can end the whole season with fewer goals than Mushowani Stars, as happened in 2019, before we slaughtered Tonde. His immediate job was to stabilise the ailing patient, which he has done, taking Dynamos back to the top of the league table, and making their fans believe again.
Stylish football can wait, there will be time for entertainment, right now the mission is to rediscover the qualities, which made them serial winners, in the past.
His Ngezi side used to play entertaining football but he was still fired, despite considerable success with the Mhondoro side.
If Dynamos were the best entertainers in the league, and they were sitting in 14th place on the table, Ndiraya would have been history.
This is the same club which dismissed David Mandigora, after he ended their 10-year wait for the league title, and took them into the Champions League semi-finals.
It will probably interest Ndiraya to know that the number of years, which have passed, since Yogi ended that lengthy wait for the league title, is 15.
And, that jersey number 15, at Dynamos, used to be the property of one of their greatest forwards, Makwinji Soma-Phiri.
He was a no-nonsense forward, no funny moves to entertain, just the cold blood to destroy opponents.
To God Be The Glory!
Peace to the GEPA Chief, the Big Fish, George Norton, Daily Service, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and all the Chakariboys still in the struggle.
Come on United!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ronaldoooooooooooooooooooooo!
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