Savimbi walks down memory lane

Danisa Masuku
PEOPLE walking along the dusty streets of Makokoba, Bulawayo, in the late 1980s may have noticed a group of young boys eagerly kicking a home-made ball.

None would have believed that one of those boys would later become a household name, respected by young and old alike. The soccer career of Dumisani “Savimbi” Nyoni began in those Makokoba streets, where he played from dawn to dusk with a ball made out of paper and plastic bags.

As a child, Nyoni lived for football. By the time he moved into organised soccer at Msiteli Secondary School, the street sessions with his friends in Makokoba paid dividends — his footwork, playing with makeshift balls, had developed to an amazingly high degree. He was to make an impact as a left winger, a position he was made at home to by veteran football coach Barry Daka at Highlanders.

“I realised that he was slow and would fit well in left back position and as such I decided to convert him to a left back. And he turned out to be a good left back and that became his permanent position. We then shifted Fanuel Ncube to right back position,” says Daka.

Due to being firm on tackle, calculative runs, brilliant crosses and flair to thwart opposition with distinction, Nyoni earned the nickname Savimbi. He combined well with Bosso wingers Madinda Ndlovu and Tanny Banda. He reckons he took no prisoners in defence.

“There was no striker that was problematic to me. During my playing days Dynamos striker Moses Chunga was the top striker but he could not give me any problem. I had physic and was good in the air, as such I was able to block any move that he tried to initiate,” he recalls with a chuckle.

Just two years with a Division Four side — Sprinters FC, Savimbi joined Highlanders when he was 16 years old. He says he spent three months in the reserve side, after that; “I was drafted into the senior team and I was also selected for the Bulawayo province Coca-Cola Under-18 squad.”

But quality and brilliance that Highlanders boasted of at the time made it difficult for him to break into the first team with ease. They were coached by Bobby Clark and his assistant was Cosmas “Tsano” Zulu. Ndumiso Gumede was the club chairman.

He says Clark was a tactician who introduced carpet football to the team. But at first his brand of football did not pay dividends as “We went for 10 games without winning but after that we were unstoppable and we fished 3rd on the log.

“During that time there were good teams like Gweru United and Rio Tinto who maintained an unbeaten record at their backyard but when we picked form we beat them at their hunting ground,” he remembers.

Being drafted into the Coca-Cola tournament helped him to be noticed by the national team coaches as he received a national team Under-20 call-up and he never looked back.

He gave his all and impressed, in the process he became a penalty taker specialist. Due to that he was a regular member of the Under-20 squad for four consecutive years.

He picks 1986 as his best year in the Highlanders colours, indeed that was their year as they collected most of the silverware that was in their path.

“We won several cups that include Chibuku, Castle, Heroes, Rothmans Shield, Independence, BAT Rosebowl, but we failed to clinch the league title,” he recalls with a smile.

The black and white army was now in the safe hands of the veteran coach Daka.

He picks the following players as his team, Sydney Zimunya, Peter Nkomo, Tobias Mudyambanje, Titus Majola, Tanny Banda, Fanuel Ncube, Douglas Mloyi, Willard Khumalo, Alexander Maseko, Netsai Moyo, Nqobizatha Maenzanise, Mercedes Sibanda, Madinda Ndlovu, Abraham Madondo and Thoko Sithole.

He says the class of 1986 passed the test as they turned Barbourfields Stadium into a fortress and gained the confidence of supporters as they won almost all the away matches.

His most exhilarating moment in soccer was when he was crowned Man of the Match after his side demolished a Kenyan side— Gor Mahia FC in 1991 in Champions of Champions Cup now called Champions League.

“Our spirits were high after we had clinched the PSL title and Zimbabwean Cup in 1990 but Gor Mahia humbled us with 1-0 defeat at their backyard. In the return leg we turned on the firepower and hammered them 4-1 at BF,” he recalls with joy.

His fine performances were capped with a seal of approval from the match authorities and was crowned Man of The Match.
However, on the worst side a PSL match between his side and Black Aces remains a match that he does not want to remember.

“When we played Black Aces I missed a penalty and that hurt me most because I was one of the penalty specialists who used to score important goals from the penalty spot. To add salt to the wound after the match I received the sad news that my uncle had passed on,” he sadly recalls.

In 1988 he was selected into the national team. In that squad he played alongside Friday Phiri, Paul Gundani, Godfrey Tamirepi, and Willard Khumalo, among some of the players.

Back at his club team in 1989 Roy Barreto joined Highlanders coaching department, becoming a co-coach alongside Barry Daka.Cosmas “Tsano” Zulu was their assistant while Lawrence Phiri was the team manager. The following year they won the PSL championship and Zimbabwean Cup.

He continued with the famous outfit up to 1996 and at the end of the season that year he hung boots not due to injury but due to work commitments. He dedicated his time to his profession of Property Negotiator. He has been in that field for 23 years.

In 2011 he was Chicken FC team manager, a position he held for a year and before that, he was with the now defunct FC Winderemere which was owned by Zifa vice-president Omega Sibanda.

He is married to Tendai Nyoni and they are blessed with three children namely Vusumuzi — a soccer star in his own right who played for AmaZulu and Highlanders and the national team, now based in Europe — Thembekile and Nothabo.

He says his motto in life is discipline. And that has gotten him this far.

“Without discipline one cannot achieve anything worthwhile but discipline could earn one respect and God willing longevity of tenure in sport and life,” he says.

Although football was not all that paying at the time he is thankful that he got networks that enabled him achieve important things in life.

“Through football I managed to get a job and bought two houses for my family, as such I do not have any regrets about playing soccer,” he says with a smile.

He is a devout Roman Catholic member. At his church he is the chairman for men’s fellowship, St Josephs Association.