Online Reporter
THE Eastern Lowveld has produced a number of good players but is spoken of not so loudly.
It is not in dispute that great football minds like the late Mick Poole and Morrison Sifelani would not have taken a risk to coach Hippo Valley in the 1970s. They loved football and liked success too and despite brilliant perks offered by the then Anglo-American Corporation plantations, they would not have sacrificed their football careers for scrap.
In recent years, Harlington Shereni and Benjamin Pedzisai have been among the star performers to come from that region whereas in earlier times former Under-20 third choice goalkeeper Weekly Mwale hailed from the sugar plantations having, however, come from Mashonaland West.
“I started my soccer career at Triangle, the same team in the Premier Soccer League that Lloyd Chitembwe is coaching. I played for Triangle United from when I was in Form Three. I was under the tutelange of Regis Dimingo. He is the one responsible for the goalkeeper that I got to be,” said Pedzisai.
He attended Lundi Christian High School for his A-levels after writing his O-levels while at Terry Goss High in Triangle.
“At Lundi, we played schools soccer and won a lot of matches and tournaments,” said Pedzisai, who added that it was while at school that he met two players, who would gain regional legendary status, Lloyd Hlahla who played for Masvingo United and Dynamos and former AmaZulu and Shabanie Mine rightback Misheck “Nyere” Makota in the same team.
“We did well in school competitions till I completed my A-levels at Lundi,” said Pedzisai, who turned 48 on 12 March.
After that, he went back to his home base, Triangle.
When the results were released, he did not fare so well to qualify for the University of Zimbabwe or National University of Science and Technology (Nust).
As he continued playing Division One football for Triangle, he was lucky to get an apprenticeship training spot at the sugar plantations where he trained in refrigeration and air-conditioning for four years.
After completion of the course, Triangle played against Shabanie Mine, who were then under legendary Moses Chunga.
“I had a good game and afterwards Chunga said he wanted me at Shabanie Mine as a professional soccer player, which meant I would not go to work anymore but will be playing soccer fulltime for a living,” said Pedzisai.
“I then joined Shabanie Mine as a professional soccer player and artisan by then. Shabanie Mine was paying me an artisan’s salary and another as a professional footballer and I loved that.
“I played for three seasons and Chunga left. Different coaches were roped in including the late Lovemore Nyabeze, Gibson Manjonda and Tavaka Gumbo.
“I worked with Dread (Gumbo) and eventually was bought by Highlanders when they won the league in 2006 under Methembe Ndlovu,” said the former goalkeeper.
Pedzisai and big Shadreck Malunga were brought to Highlanders specifically for the Caf Champions League, a tournament in which Bosso were knocked out of by Aly Ahly of Egypt after booting out Zambia’s Green Buffaloes in the preliminary round.
“I was not happy with the contract and I left for Botswana where I was able to work as a refrigeration and air conditioning artisan.
‘I refused the Bosso offer because what they were offering was far below what Shabanie Mine were paying and the Zimbabwe dollar then was on a free-fall. Perhaps Highlanders did not know playing football was optional for me since I was a qualified artisan,” said the former goalkeeper.
His stay at Bosso was too short after a contractual disagreement while in camp.
An admirer of Johannes Ngodzo and Ronald Sibanda during their playing days, Pedzisai said an injury in 2005 to first choice goalkeeper Andrew Chisunga had given him the initiative to establish himself.
“Chisunga got hurt in the first three matches of the season. It is when that I took over, I had been his understudy, I owe it to him that I rose to a decent goalkeeper because of his mentorship,” said the humble giant.
In Botswana Pedzisai met his wife Lorrimore Mutsengi, who played for the Zimbabwe national netball team at some stage. The couple are blessed with two daughters, Karen and Hannah.
He pays tribute to his former Mathematics teacher at Lundi, who was very strong in sports and guided him well.
He said his move to Highlanders was after a sterling performance at Barbourfields where he was man of the match.
“I played a blinder, stopping many Highlanders raids and after the end of the season, they came knocking wanting me to be part of the team for the Champions League in 2007,” said Pedzisai.
At Shabanie Mine, he played alongside Steven Matsaire, Albert Mbano, Patrick Mandizha, Philip Sithole, Shadreck Malunga, Method Mwanjali, Andrew Chisunga, Gerald Phiri, Zvenyika Makonese and Clarkson Dzimbiri.
He said he enjoyed his playing days at Shabanie Mine and playing against all the big teams in Zimbabwe.
