The ‘Rebel’ outta Kutama

Tinashe Kusema

In approximately a fortnight, thousands of distinguished guests and people from all walks of life will converge at Kutama College when the mission finally holds its centenary celebrations.

President Mugabe, a former Kutama student, will preside over the festivity that will be graced by a star-studded line-up that includes doctors, engineers, politicians and dignitaries from the surrounding areas and even beyond the country’s borders.

The other highlight of the day will be the unmistakable sight of this tall stout man with an over-grown beard that appears to be a cross between the late Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden.

For many, the gustily sight of Stanley “Samora” Chirambadare symbolises the sporting success of the institution, particularly football, but for the rest of us, particularly those of a DeMbare persuasion, this man brings shades of the glory days of the country’s staple sport.

Born January 18 1963, Chirambadare is one of the colourful characters to come out of Kutama, first tying up his football boots during the days of the infamous rivalry between Kutama College and St Ignatius College.

“For me before there were any Dynamos rivalries with Highlanders and CAPS United to talk about, my main priority was St Ignatius.

“Kutama College, back in the late 70s and early 80s, was like any other school you found in the country at the time or will find today; we had our time to learn, rest, eat and play.

“I was an average student when the time came for school, but once the bell rang and finished, it was then that I truly shone like a star. I played a couple of sports, but as early as primary school, I always appeared to excel in football,” said Chirambadare.

Asked to expand on his team’s rivalry with St Ignatius, the earnest Chirambadare said: “What you need to understand was that during my day, people took part in sports because they had a passion for the sport unlike this day and age where you will find a large number of sportsmen take whatever activity they do merely because they won’t be gifted academically.

“Our biggest rivalry was with St Ignatius which was a truly gifted school led by the likes of Andrew and Moses Mandigora, ironically brothers to current Dynamos coach David Mandigora.

“It was a serious rivalry between us and St Ignatius and lapsed beyond the boundaries of the classroom to spill onto the sports field. St Ignatius had a slight edge over us academically, but we tried to cover up by beating them on the field.

“Our team was not the biggest or most technically gifted for we lacked both the natural talent and coaching expertise, but fortunately we had a strong heart. We wanted to beat them more than they wanted to beat us,” he said.

During his time at Dynamos, or should I say life, Chirambadare has been known by many monikers; “Rebel”, “Bad boy”, “Loose cannon”, “Wild card” and most recently the youths of Mufakose where he now resides call him “Humanitarian”, “Evangelist” and “Godfather”. The monikers simply refuse to stay in the past. “Like many other sporting personalities, celebrities or ordinary people, everyone has a past and I would like to think I have changed and become a better person.

“I can’t really say I was naughty or mischievous in my schooling days, I did go astray here and there like most boys my age. I did the usual stuff that boys do, but the thing that kept me in line was the fact that the war was hotting up during my days at Kutama and as such we were monitored tightly with very little room for mischief.

“My football career was still beginning and I was technically the best player in my team and a leader. Although I played as a defender later in life I always saw myself as a creative midfielder.

“I think I excelled in that position, particularly during my schools days, and it even fed off into my professional career. Not to brag or anything, but I think if there was a database storing statistics, I would be among the top fielders and goal creators both at school and professional level,” he said.

On his most memorable time at the institution, the 52-year-old recounted the time the school temporarily closed and moved to the capital, particularly Westwood, Kambuzuma.

The theories and reasons of the school’s closure have changed with time and vary depending on who one talks to; Chirambadare did bring his version of the events.

“I am not sure about the “water crisis” or teacher shooting which some have come up with but I think since the war was heating up the authorities saw it fit to close the school as a precautionary measure,” he said.

Speaking on his time at the now Kambuzuma High 2, Chirambadare said: “It was both an adventure and a painful experience for most of us.

“The general population of the school came from rural areas, myself included, and here we were forced to move from the comforts of boarding school to day school, this on top of having to adapt to the city life.

“We all struggled in adapting and finding accommodation; a lucky few found relatives to stay with but it was the allure of city life and its temptations that really struck a chord,” he said.

Today, Chirambadare seems to have matured and settled into adulthood, but still maintains his love of the sport.

During his playing days, roughly between 1986 and 1991, hardly a season went by without the Dynamos legend clashing with authorities, usually earning numerous red cards or suspensions for indiscipline, feats that saw him missing out on the Soccer Stars of the Year calendar on numerous occasions.

Always the first to pick or end a fight, on and off the pitch, Chirambadare was always caught in the eye of the storm.

However, that seems to be water under the bridge, for today, Chirambadare is an antithesis of his former self, having decided to shed off that bad boy image in pursuit of serving the Lord and ploughing back into the community.

In 2003, he started evangelism through sports with a programme called Athletes in Action, which is mostly aimed at reaching out to high-profile sports personalities and encourage them to plough back into the community.

Later on, in 2009, he then formed Revil, a team which plays in the junior leagues and runs concurrently with his Mufakose junior academy.