Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ON the confluence of Svosvera and Taruvinga Villages, in Chivi, lovebirds Blessed Mapuwa and Dorcas Chipengo are walking down the fringes of a small stream.
Their relationship has become profound, having grown over three years, and is now beyond question.
With chirping birds providing the perfect soundtrack, Mapuwa just flashes out a casual statement.
Or what sounded like a casual statement then.
The year is 1999.
Geography isn’t the only factor that has kept the two together exactly one year after Dorcas finished her Ordinary Level at Mudadisi Secondary School.
Deep affection took care of everything else.
Blessed, a year older than his girlfriend, had been at the same institution two years back, and yes, you guessed right, their courtship started right there.
“I recall telling her (Dorcas) that you have a huge responsibility. I didn’t mince my words on that day. I told her that she would help me sire star footballers,” said Mapuwa.
“That was back in 1999 You know what? She dismissed it flatly and we laughed over it.
“But I meant it. I was a good footballer who just lacked the necessary exposure to turn professional, and Dorcas was an outstanding sprinter. But back in the village, especially that time, you couldn’t get the necessary support to flourish.”
The couple still remembers the lines, the exact words and the exact position they were spoken, down in Chivi 27 years ago.
And on Tuesday, Mapuwa started by reminding his wife of those words as we sat for an interview that would last for over an hour in Harare.
Their daughter Winnie, who at 13 is already making international headlines after featuring for Zimbabwe’s under-15 and under-17 teams, had just finished showing how big her heart is.
The forward, who captains the Zimbabwe U-15 squad and is having an impressive debut season in the Zimbabwe Women’s Premier Soccer League with champions Herentals Queens, was donating a consignment of training and playing gear for a Bulawayo-based women’s football academy, Western Rangers.
Winnie has been playing for Herentals Queens, where her mother always accompanies her as a safeguarding angel due to her age, for just three months, and from her earnings, she thought of empowering her fellow teenagers.
“What prompted me to tell my parents to save my earnings from Herentals Queens was the plight of girls from Western Rangers,” said Winnie.
“You know, in February, we played the CAF African Schools tournament in Harare. I was the captain of the team, and when we were in camp, I noticed some of my teammates were not quite happy.
“As we talked, Veronica Nyathi, Cleopatra Tshingila, and goalkeeper Kimberly Dube told me that their academy in Bulawayo lacked basic necessities, including footballs, cones and agility ladders, among other things.
“When I got the contract to play for Herentals and started to earn, I just decided that my first earnings should help other girls who are in real need to continue developing.”
Western Rangers, who play in the Southern Region Women’s Division One, are slowly becoming a key pillar of the female football ecosystem having recently birthed the pair of Romaine Mhlanga and Gugulethu Ndlovu who are both with Correctional Queens in the ZWPSL.
Founder and coach for Western Rangers Godwin Moyo said: “What Winnie has done for us is unbelievable.
“You know at Western Rangers, we are basically nurturing girls who are mostly orphaned and underprivileged to protect them from engaging in societal ills.
“And to see a 13-year-old kid like Winnie donating to us is just mind-blowing.”
Yet her philanthropic heart isn’t the only thing that has captured the imagination of many.
Her football art is blowing the nation away. Just picture a 13-year-old, scoring two goals and providing 10 assists in only 12 games in a league where she is the youngest player. Three years ago, when she was only 11, she was drafted into the Zimbabwe U-15 national team and managed to score once in a COSAFA U-15 Championship.
Last year she scored six goals at the COSAFA U-17 Championship in South Africa to become the tournament’s Golden Boot winner when she was just 12.
Yet Winnie, who once dropped out of school because her parents, Blessed, a security guard then, and Dorcas, a housewife, couldn’t afford her school fees before Herentals Queens owner Innocent Benza decided to give her a football scholarship at Herentals Mabvuku College.
Her brothers, Wellington and Washington, themselves professional footballers as well, were not yet mature enough to financially chip in. In fact, the brothers also needed assistance too.
“It’s a long story of sacrifice and resilience,” said Dorcas.
“When I married, we were staying in Chivi before we moved to Harare to seek better opportunities. My husband was a security guard, and we basically lived from hand to mouth.
“But he would always make sure the kids get proper football training at Dzivarasekwa Academy.
“Winnie was naturally big, and her dad and the boys would run with her down the hills in Dzivarasekwa Township when she was barely six.
“Then we decided to enrol our children at Legends Academy, where the director, Farai Dhliwayo, said they would train for free, all of them.
“As he realised that we couldn’t really afford their bus fare to and from training, Dhliwayo offered us accommodation at the academy.
“I was helping out the academy by doing laundry for the players, all the players across all age groups, while my husband would also chip in to coach the boys and do other things.
“We basically became part of Legends Academy, and we saw a lot of players coming through our hands like Tashinga Pfende, Douglas Mapfumo, Nigel Kupara and Blessing Kagudu, among others.
“Legends Academy was our daily bread. But at one point, as Winnie matured, rather earlier than expected, she dropped out of school. Herentals Group of Colleges and Schools owner Innocent Benza already knew Winnie because Herentals Queens train at the same venue (Hellenic).
“He quickly rescued us by giving her a football scholarship at one of his schools in Mabvuku.”
Benza said, “I started observing Winnie when she was as little as 8. When I heard that she had dropped out of school, my heart sank. We gave her a football scholarship at Herentals Mabvuku where she is right now.
“She plays for Herentals Queens, and she will most certainly be the youngest player at the CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA qualifiers this year. I am happy to see her displaying such kindness for the love of football.”
Winnie’s brother Washington plays in the Premier Soccer League for Bulawayo Chiefs, while the oldest of the siblings Wellington is with Southern Region Soccer League leaders Hwange.
The brothers have both played for Zimbabwe from Under-17 to Under-20, with Washington also having done COSAFA Cup duty for the Warriors.
“That’s what I sat out to see,” said Blessed.
“I knew I was a good player but lacked the necessary exposure. I just had to make sure my children would get to play the game for me. I am happy now. Winnie was once selected to play for the Zimbabwe U-17 team but due to rules, she was told she couldn’t because she is still too young.
“What I told my wife back in 1999 when we were still dating is making sense now.”
For the Mapuwa family, the journey continues with Wellington, Washington and Winnie already leading the charge while academy prospects Wilmer (8) and Whitney (4) are already showing promise.
