Vusumuzi Dube
A dazzling display for Magwegwe Secondary School of Bulawayo had renowned football development expert Jani Gwede inviting Kenneth Phuthi to Zimbabwe Saints FC in 1985.
“After one scintillating performance at school, Jani Gwede persuaded us to join the Zimbabwe Saints Under-18s. I had started being serious with football when I was in Form One when I joined East Rovers FC juniors. We would also play for the first team which was in Zifa Division Four with Melusi Nkiwane, Mxolisi Gumbo, Samuel Lunga and Flack Tundu. Melusi Nkiwane and myself made the grade and featured prominently in the team with guys like Ben Nzelengwe, Norman Gumbo and Dumaza Dube,” said Phuthi in an interview from his Pretoria, South Africa base on Friday.
That was in 1985, the same year he made it into the Matabeleland North Under-18 for the Coca-Cola Cup contested by provincial selects.
In 1986, Howard Maviza identified Phuthi and invited him to Monarch FC who were in the Southern Region Division One Soccer League.
“Howard Maviza took me to Monarch where I made an immediate impact. That season we played Highlanders in the quarter-finals of the Chibuku Trophy and lost 2-1. Monarch got defunct soon after that defeat and we never got to know the reason why,” said Phuthi.
Ambitious as he was, and getting rave reviews in some football quarters, Phuthi was courageous enough to go for a three-month trial with Highlanders.
Perhaps it was at the wrong time as in central defence Highlanders had Richard Ndlovu, Alexander Maseko as well as Douglas Mloyi and could call on Lawrence Ndlovu together with Sam Sibanda for back up. To compound his woes were two adaptable central midfielders Tito Paketh and Willard Khumalo in the side.
Phuthi recalls playing in the first team in a charity match against Ziscosteel FC at Barbourfields in those three months.
He had been a striker throughout his school and junior league days and was converted to a defender by Maviza.
With no deal being struck at Highlanders, Phuthi found himself joining Northern Region Airforce side Suri Suri in 1987 where he met some guys he knew from the Bulawayo junior soccer league.
“I met guys like Charles Muringai, Nohlanhla Moyo, Gary Mkandawire, Anthony Majola and Reuben Tsengwa. That year Suri Suri was banned by Zifa after allegedly throwing away a game to Darryn Tornados at the end of 1988. But fortunately enough players were pardoned and allowed to join other clubs, hence our move to Chapungu United which had been relegated from the Super League,” he said.
Both clubs belonged to the Airforce of Zimbabwe.
Chapungu played in the Zifa Southern Region League in 1989 but were quickly promoted after reaching an unassailable number of points with 10 games to go and were back in the Premiership.
The tall centre defender with Nohlanhla Moyo were hard to beat in the Chapungu box, using their height to good stead and were towering as the club outfoxed Red Seal Rovers, Tongogara, Bata Power and Eagles.
“During my stint with Chapungu, I had the honour of playing alongside great players like Choddy Chirwa, Jonah Murehwa, Bekezela Moyo, Bampton Nchengela, Bigboy Ndlovu, Samuel Mangava, Anderson Mafu, Brighton Dzapasi, Godfrey Chuchu, Thomas Mudzengerere, Kennedy Chihuri and Collins Mahara,” said Phuthi reminiscing on probably the best Chapungu side ever.
A very good and disciplined star, Phuthi always made it into the Zimbabwe team for the international championships for armed forces.
“I was part of the Zimbabwe team for the International Military Sports Council Games which are held every four years. We played against teams like Chad, Egypt, Cameroon and Tanzania. I played against one of Egypt’s most feared strikers Hossam Hassan in the Military Games where Zimbabwe had some of the best players on show like Stanford ‘Stix’ Mtizwa, Stanley “Sinyo’ Ndunduma, Gift Makoni, Fanny Nyamukapa, Maronga Nyangela, Lazarus Pararayi and Jimmy Mbewe,” he said of a team that was as good as the other national team known as the Warriors.
Phuthi is the first to admit that during his time, Zimbabwe had very good strikers that on a wink they would have pounced with devastating effect.
“Among some of the most dangerous strikers I came up against were Adam Ndlovu, Peter Ndlovu, Agent Sawu, Madinda Ndlovu, Maronga Nyangela, Vitalis Takawira, the Mugeyi twins William and Wilfred, Gift Mudangwe, Chris Kahwema, Dumisani Ngulube, Tobias Mudyambanje, Boy Ndlovu, Victor Moonsammy, Ishmael Meki, Noah Cox, Machona Sibanda and Tauya Murewa.”
He said those were the kind of strikers that gave most defenders goose bumps.
At the age of 29, Phuthi felt his legs were getting tired as a wholly new group of youngsters Abel and Cain Muteji and Maxwell Dube were taking over the show, he left for Masvingo Division Two side Buffalo Range, another Airforce of Zimbabwe side.
There he teamed up with Perkins Nyamutamba, Quincy Stobbart ex-Rixi Taxis, Patridge Mukahanana, Abel Mweene and got the team promoted to Division One before retiring in 1998 to concentrate on his fulltime job with the Airforce of Zimbabwe.
Years later, Phuthi joined the great trek to South Africa.
He now lives in South Africa’s Pretoria together with his family.
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Online Reporter