Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira, [email protected]
ON any Highlanders match day, Evans Chigona is one of the easiest people to spot in the crowd. Dressed in a referee’s uniform, complete with a whistle around his neck and yellow and red cards tucked neatly into his pocket, he moves through the terraces with a confidence that often leaves people doing a double take.
At first glance, many assume he is one of the officials assigned to the match. He is not. His stage is not the football pitch but the packed stands where Highlanders supporters gather week after week to cheer on their beloved Bosso.
Among the club’s followers, he is known simply as “Ref weBosso”, a colourful character who has become part of the match-day experience. Armed with his whistle and cards, he playfully “books” supporters, hands out imaginary punishments and keeps the atmosphere lively. Yet behind the humour lies a story born out of frustration, loyalty and an unwavering love for Highlanders Football Club.
The idea came to him during the 2024 Premier Soccer League season while he was sitting among fellow supporters watching his team play. Like many Bosso fans, he often felt aggrieved by decisions made by match officials. Instead of merely complaining about what he believed were unfair calls, he came up with a unique way to make his feelings known.
“I was seated on the terraces during the 2024 Premier Soccer League season and I was not happy with what the officials were doing against my team Highlanders. That pushed me to come up with the idea of becoming the team’s referee. By game 19, when we were playing Chiefs, I sorted out my outfit and went to the stadium dressed as a referee. What I was saying was that we were tired of the referees being biased towards Highlanders, so I was now taking over. I got to the game and we won that game,” he says.
What started as a light-hearted protest quickly took on a life of its own. The referee’s jersey, whistle and cards soon became his trademark. Before long, supporters knew exactly who he was. “Ref weBosso” was no longer a joke between friends. He had become a recognised figure within the Highlanders family.
Today, Chigona’s role goes beyond entertaining supporters. While many laugh when they receive one of his mock yellow cards, he uses the character to promote a serious message about responsible behaviour in the stands. He believes true support for the club means protecting its image rather than damaging it.
Missile throwing, fighting and other forms of misconduct remain issues that concern him deeply, especially because such actions often result in fines and disciplinary action against the club.
“The club doesn’t need people who throw missiles or those who misbehave, especially with missile throwing. We have had some taken out of the stadium and the missile throwing affects the team financially.
“For me, the referee is there to aid the club as a whole. We can enjoy ourselves, we can support Highlanders and we can have fun in the terraces, but there has to be a limit. I want people to understand that supporting the team does not mean doing things that will eventually hurt the team,” he says.
Ironically, the man who created a referee character because he was unhappy with referees now uses that same character to encourage order among supporters. It is a twist that even he probably never imagined when he first stepped into the stadium wearing a referee’s kit. His connection with Highlanders, however, goes back much further than Ref weBosso.
Long before the whistles and cards, Chigona was simply a young boy growing up in Sasula Village in Zvishavane under Chief Masunda. His father worked for the Bulawayo City Council and regularly brought newspapers home, especially The Chronicle. Those newspapers opened a window into the world of Highlanders and planted a passion that would stay with him for life.
“I started following Highlanders back in 2004. My father worked for the Bulawayo City Council, so he would bring newspapers, particularly the Chronicle. That is how I fell in love with the team and the players because the Chronicle predominantly wrote about Highlanders. Even my schoolbooks had Highlanders pictures. I also listened to the 2006 triumph on radio, and that inspired me through players like Johannes Ngodzo, Tapiwa Kapini and Ralph Matema. Those memories stayed with me and Highlanders became part of me.”
Like many football supporters, Chigona’s loyalty was tested from time to time. When he moved to Bulawayo around 2007 and settled in Pumula South, he found himself surrounded by supporters of rival clubs. His brother followed CAPS United while his uncle supported Dynamos. Neither was particularly thrilled by his obsession with Highlanders.
“They would tell me that it was not safe to go to BF, that I might get beaten and all sorts of things. But I continued telling them that my heart was at Bosso. I knew what they were saying, but it did not change my love for Highlanders. I wanted to be there and support my team,” he says.
Despite the warnings, his attachment to the club only grew stronger. Like many supporters searching for their place within the Bosso family, he spent time in different sections of the stadium before eventually finding where he felt most at home. There was even a period when he wondered whether he would ever truly belong among the passionate Highlanders faithful. Those fears did not last long.
“Highlanders is a team of the nation. I even thought I was never going to be accepted at Highlanders, but Highlanders yi team yezwe lonke. It is a team for everyone,” he says.
That sense of belonging became even stronger when he met some of the club’s most recognisable supporters, including Umfundisi, Dolly weBosso and Mgijimi. Encouraged by their presence, he decided to share his unusual idea.
“I asked them that I wanted to join as Ref weBosso. They just said that was a good idea. Instantly, they called me to join them there and there,” he says.
Their acceptance gave him the confidence to fully embrace the character. Soon, even the players themselves began recognising and appreciating his efforts.
“Even the players that I knew and had seen me before, when they saw me as Ref weBosso, all showed me love. That gave me extra motivation to do what I do because you realise that the players also understand the character.”
Today, Chigona has become part of the fabric of the Highlanders match-day experience. Supporters smile when they see him approaching with a card in hand, wondering what offence they have supposedly committed. The laughter and banter help create the unique atmosphere that makes Bosso matches special.
But beneath the humour is a supporter who feels every result deeply. When Highlanders win, everyone at home notices the difference.
“I enjoy a lot when Highlanders wins. Even at home they know if Highlanders wins, the mood at home is jovial,” he says. The losses, however, are far harder to bear, especially when they happen away from home.
“The painful part of being a fan, more so a travelling one, is when the team loses away from home. The journey back home is not easy. It is a painful process,” he says.
Like many Bosso supporters, Chigona has experienced recent years filled with both hope and frustration. He has watched the club battle through difficult periods marked by player strikes, changing leadership and uncertainty on and off the field. Yet his faith in Highlanders remains unshaken.
“The team has been through a lot lately with player strikes and losing leaders, but we are hopeful that things will be okay,” he says.
For Chigona, supporting Highlanders has never been a hobby. It is part of who he is. It began with old newspaper stories read in a rural home, grew through radio commentaries and childhood heroes, and eventually found expression in a referee’s jersey worn among thousands of fellow supporters.
