Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira, [email protected]
Highlanders Football Club yesterday completed the painful task of burying the last of the three senior officials who perished in last week’s tragic road traffic accident, as chairman Retired Colonel Kenneth Mhlophe was laid to rest with full military honours at Lady Stanley Cemetery.
Mhlophe’s burial brought to an end a heartbreaking week for Bosso, who lost three members of their executive committee in the fatal crash.
Vice-chairman Fiso Siziba and treasurer Nkani Khoza were buried at the same cemetery on Monday, while devoted supporter Mbalenhle Sibanda was laid to rest in Insiza yesterday.
For Highlanders, however, the farewell to Mhlophe was the loss of more than just a chairman. It was the departure of a leader whose discipline, humility and commitment to duty had become central to the way he served the country’s oldest football institution.
The former Zimbabwe National Army officer was accorded a military funeral parade at Imbizo Barracks earlier in the day before his cortege proceeded to Lady Stanley Cemetery, where family members, senior military officials, football administrators, Highlanders representatives and supporters gathered to pay their final respects.
Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Bulawayo Judith Ncube described Mhlophe as a leader whose impact went beyond the positions he held.
“Let us honour his remarkable leadership. He led several important institutions, including the Anglican Church, where he faithfully served. He also became chairman of Highlanders Football Club, one of the country’s most treasured institutions, where he provided visionary leadership during a significant chapter in the club’s history.
“Mhlophe’s journey shows us that true leadership is not measured by titles but by the positive impact one leaves in the lives of others,” said Ncube.
The chief mourner at the parade was Zimbabwe National Army Chief of Staff (Quartermaster Staff) Major-General Simo Maseko, who represented Commander Zimbabwe National Army Lieutenant-General Walter Tapfumaneyi.
Maseko said Mhlophe’s contribution to football administration would continue to inspire future generations.
“Let us honour him by living lives of integrity, by supporting one another and ensuring that the values he fought for, especially in football, endure. Though he has fallen, his spirit rises in the memory of our nation.
“His name in football circles will be spoken with reverence, his sacrifice remembered with gratitude and his life cherished as a beacon for generations of football administrators to come,” said Maseko.
Mhlophe’s transition from the military to football administration saw him carry with him the values that defined his career in uniform: discipline, accountability and respect for structure. Those who worked closely with him described him as a quiet but firm leader, a man who did not seek attention but demanded high standards from those around him.
Former Highlanders player Itai Masawi, who served with Mhlophe during his army days, described him as a strict disciplinarian but also a person who remained approachable.
“We had a good working relationship years back when I was still with Black Rhinos. Even up to now I could still access him and he was always welcoming,” said Masawi.
Former Highlanders official Netsai “Super” Moyo said Mhlophe’s love for Bosso was never in doubt.
“He was a quiet but hardworking person. In my time of working with him, one thing that is certain is he was a man who loved Highlanders. He was one person determined to see the success of the club,” said Moyo.
As soldiers performed the final military rites and Highlanders supporters stood in silence, the occasion reflected the two worlds that defined Mhlophe’s life: service to his country and dedication to his beloved football club.
