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Lovemore Dube
“TRAIN a teacher to be a coach then you have taught the nation sport as several generations will go through his hands during his time in the field.”
This was a popular saying by former Matabeleland North Sport and Recreation Commission (SRC) officer Sam Ndlovu and Matabeleland Volleyball Association chairman Silas Nyabadza. Sadly both legends are no more.
Their argument was if a young teacher was trained as a coach by the time he retires he would have coached thousands of players and groomed fellow education practitioners as well to take a role in sport. Since 1990 James Rugwevera one of
Zimbabwe sport’s unsung heroes has been involved in churning out great athletes in a number of sporting disciplines.
Many see him just as a teacher, a brilliant Mathematics educator, a chairman of a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League side, Bulawayo Chiefs. He, however, parted ways recently with the club to concentrate on Mpopoma Sports Academy where he is dreaming big.
But behind what you see is a man whose praises appear set for his graveside as he is not celebrated enough for the starring role he has played in sport. As a student teacher on teaching practice at Glen View High School in Harare, he admired how a certain
Mr Tarumbwa went about his business on the football field. Popular as soccer has always been, Rugwevera as a young teacher would go and watch and even travel with the school team and celebrates that his mentor was able to produce players like Engelbert Kahuni who went on to play for Caps United.
“He was a role model and I dreamt one day of contributing to the development of alternative career opportunities for children through sport. I never knew when my time would come and which sport it would be. But God had his way. In 1990 I was posted to Amandlethu Secondary School in Lupane District and that is where the journey began,” said Rugwevera.
He said by 1992 Amandlethu were doing well in athletics within the district but it was until 1993 when a new headmistress came to the school.
“We had a new headmistress Sibongile Ndlovu. She was so supportive and we began to take part in the Dairibord Schools Cross Country Championships because of her. In our first year, 1994 our girls took the first five positions and two more qualified for the Matabeleland North team for the national finals. Three of our boys Mbuso Ncube, Hlalani Ndlovu and Phumulani Vundla qualified and that was the beginning of greater things to come,” said Rugwevera.
For almost six years the school dominated the scene with its pupils in provincial and national teams traveling to places like Cape Town and Dublin representing the country.
“It was through hard work that our athletes did well. We would train on a wet Shangani River bed and also on dry sand for endurance and stamina. For speed work we used hard surfaces,” said Rugwevera.
His first athletes were Singazi Dube, Busi Nyoni, Busisiwe Nyoni, Zondiwe Nyoni and Sibangani Nyoni. “Along the way we got Margaret Mahohoma, Fritty Moyo and Sinini Ndlovu who became powerhouses as well.
He was later moved to Mzilikazi High School.
l“Mzilikazi was a football school. Some good athletes like Mandla Nkosi had emerged before me but when I got there with Mahohoma we introduced it to the girls and quite a number came on board. I did not stay long enough there but because Mahohoma was now running international and winning it was working well in encouraging more girls to come on board,” said Rugwevera.
From Mzilikazi Rugwevera had a brief stint at Mandwandwe High School in Nkulumane before landing a post at Mpopoma where he has been sports director.
“I have had a great time at Mpopoma. Very supportive colleagues and a listening headmaster who wants the best for the school and community hence we have had positive results with our school captain Christopher Dube (headmaster). Mpopoma has its footprint in a number of sporting disciplines and out of the passion at school we have come up with Mpopoma Sports Academy,” said Rugwevera.
He said with athletics as his forte and having made a mark as a middle and long distance coach, it never got to be at his new school.
“I discovered that the environment and dynamics are different. City kids do not have the patience for long distances so I switched to middle and sprints. The results were the emergence of Gift Ngwenya, Ronald Mutshitshwa, Busani Ndlovu who is at Bindura University, Lesibani Mujaji, Mzi Ncube now at Sobukhazi and Alpha Mpofu who were champions at one stage in the national juniors’ sphere.
“In netball Gems members Nicol Muzanenhamo and Lesibani Mujaji went through Mpopoma High School. In football we created an environment also for the likes of Lucky Ndlela, Toto Banda, Ray Lunga, Kelvin Madzongwe, Lexington Mujokoro, Reward Muza, Mattriples Muleya, Gerald Sibanda and Khulekani Dube to grow as footballers. We also have Tendai Mubvuti,
Junior Makunike and Brighton Makopa in the Premiership. In women’s football Kimberley Maseko, Taboza Kabindi, Patience Ndlovu and Rufaro Maphosa at Yadah FC in the women’s Premier League. We also have some long distance runners,” said Rugwevera.
Twenty years as sports director at Mpopoma and now with an added responsibility as director of his Academy, Rugwevera says he is happy that he has mentored Brilliant Sibanda and Babson Ngwenya his fellow teaching mates.
In the classroom Rugwevera has also done wonders at times producing dozens of As in a stream in his favourite Maths subject, something that he has made it a habit. That has resulted in him being one of the most sought after Maths teachers in Bulawayo and beyond. He has laid a solid foundation for the academic gifted in careers such as engineering and medicine.
Bongani Ndlovu