Online Reporter
Fungai Muderere in FILABUSI
A SOMBRE atmosphere engulfed the golf-rich town of Filabusi yesterday as tears, emotional embraces and moments of silence characterised the burial of four of the six Highlanders supporters who died in an accident last Sunday.
The four were laid to rest at the same cemetery.
They had gone to Barbourfields to cheer Bosso in their Premier Soccer League match against Herentals last Sunday but they sadly never made it back home after the vehicle they were travelling in was involved in a horrific accident.
Fanuel Murindi, Fortune Dube, Emmanuel Chirwa and Zaina Sibanda were laid to rest at a combined funeral service attended by grieving relatives, friends, fellow villagers and members of the Highlanders family.
The mood in Filabusi was sombre as mourners struggled to come to terms with the sudden loss of the four supporters.
For many of those gathered, the occasion was not simply a funeral but a painful farewell to loyal Bosso followers whose passion for the black and white colours had taken them to the match before tragedy struck on their journey home.
The four were among six Highlanders supporters who died in the accident on the fateful day, about 15 kilometres from Amazon Shopping Centre along the Filabusi Road.
The tragedy occurred when the NV350 kombi carrying the supporters rammed into a stationary tipper truck before a Honda Fit subsequently piled into the crash.
Four other people survived the accident and were rushed to hospital.
The deaths sent shockwaves through the Highlanders family and the wider football fraternity, with the club mourning the loss of supporters, who they described as more than just people in the stands.
Busani Moyo, another of the six victims, was buried on Thursday at Luveve Cemetery in Bulawayo following a church service.
Funeral arrangements for Christina Zikhali, the sixth victim, are yet to be announced.
The six supporters were accorded State-assisted funerals, a gesture Highlanders said would provide much-needed assistance to the bereaved families during an extremely difficult period.
Highlanders expressed their gratitude to President Mnangagwa and the Government for standing with the families. “Highlanders Football Club wishes to express its profound gratitude to His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Cde Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa and the Government of Zimbabwe for granting State-Assisted Funerals to our six beloved supporters,” the club said.
The club said the six would forever remain part of the Highlanders story.
Yesterday, that bond between the supporters and their club was evident as mourners gathered to give the four a final farewell.
For Filabusi, a community still mourning the sudden loss, the funerals marked the beginning of a long journey of healing.
For Highlanders, they were the painful farewell to four supporters whose loyalty to the club ended not at the stadium, but in the hearts of those left behind.
What was supposed to be a year of jubilation for Highlanders has instead turned into one of the darkest and most painful periods in the club’s proud history.
What should have been a year of celebration for Highlanders’ Centenary has instead become a year of mourning, overshadowing some of the festivities that had been earmarked for the club’s milestone.
Instead of a year dominated by memories, celebrations and pride in 100 years of Highlanders’ existence, the Bulawayo giants have found themselves repeatedly gathering to mourn members of the club’s extended family.
The club’s 100-year anniversary should have been a time to honour their rich history, celebrate generations of players and the many accolades won over the same period.
