admin
Eddie Chikamhi in HARARE and Fungai Muderere in BULAWAYO
IT was a tragic day for giants Dynamos and Highlanders yesterday when the two clubs lost iconic pillars with DeMbare losing the legendary Ernest Kamba while Bosso lost their CEO Sihlangu Dlodlo.
Kamba was the 1973 Soccer Star of the Year.
He was 76 at the time of his death.
He died at his home in Norton early yesterday.
Apart from his illustrious career, which saw him featuring for both Zimbabwe and Malawi and also winning the 1973 Soccer Star of the Year gong, he was known for spending his final years in football fighting successive administrations at DeMbare over the way the club was being run.
To some he was a rebellious, divisive and power-hungry figure but to others he was a hero, a champion of justice and good governance.
Kamba has always maintained his colleagues at Dynamos, including the current leadership led by Bernard Marriot, have been violating the DeMbare constitution repeatedly after departing from the original document crafted in 1963.
Former Dynamos treasurer Eric Mvududu yesterday said football lost a “principled man” who always stood for what he believed was right, especially when it comes to the DeMbare constitution.
“I have known him as a person who was very strict in trying to get to people to follow the rules and the constitution of Dynamos, which made him very unpopular with some people in the club,” said Mvududu.
“Each time he wanted to get people to return to what their constitution says, sometimes they would take him out. But whenever he was kicked out, he never lost his love for Dynamos.
“He was a man who continued on his path without wavering. He was trying to preserve governance at Dynamos. He was trying to address the root cause of the problems Dynamos are in today, which is lack of good governance.”
He added:
“At one point he was incorporated into the board led by Richard Chiminya and at his first meeting he refused to take up the position and told them that the board should be elected by the electoral college and had no power to appoint him.”
He played for lower division side Mashonaland before reaching his peak at Dynamos between 1966 and 1976.
He played alongside the likes of Sydney Dick, Alois Masikano, Lovemore Sam, Denver Mahachi, David Madondo, Lameck Mlambo, George Yoyo, Daniel Ncube, Shaw Handriade and the legendary George Shaya.
Most of these DeMbare heroes are now late, with Marriot now the remaining ex-player among the generation that featured in the founding years.
The Highlanders family is also in mourning.
Its CEO Dlodlo was found dead at his Nketa 9 home in Bulawayo yesterday evening.
According to one of his close associates, Allan “Ripper” Mpofu, Dlodlo’s body was found after they forced entry into his house
He had not been seen since Saturday.
“It seems like my friend passed on over the weekend. He was alone at his place. After the alarm was raised that he had not been seen, we forced open the gate at his place to gain entry with the help of his relatives.
“I peeped through the window and I could not believe it. I saw the lifeless body of my close friend.
“This is so disheartening, it’s really sad. We discovered this around 6.45pm. I cannot speak further because I have to respect his (Sihlangu) family.”
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter