Chronicle Editor
Fungai Muderere, [email protected]
A CELEBRATORY atmosphere engulfed both Tshabalala’s Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church and Umvutsha Cemetery, where the memorial service and burial of the late football “legend” Ephraim Mwale-Chimenya respectively took place yesterday.
The late Mwale died at Johannesburg Hospital in South Africa on September 2 at the age of 58, after a short illness.
“It’s sad that our brother is gone. He endured some pain and when he was operated on, he gave us some hope that he was going to fully recover. Unfortunately, he passed away on September 2 at Johannesburg Hospital. All I can say is rest in peace, our brother, till we meet again,” said the late Mwale’s younger sister, Christine.
The iconic Holy Cross Parish was filled to the brim with an overflow crowd that briefly brought business at Tshabalala’s well-known Basic Shopping Centre to a standstill as hordes of people came to pay their last respects to the former football great.
The funeral procession from church to the cemetery was typically big, with cars being bumper to bumper on their way to bury a football star who played for Bulawayo Warriors, a junior team from Tshabalala, Cotton Printers, Merlin Husky, Eagles, Black Mambas and Caps United.
Yesteryear greats, Jimmy Phiri, Shadreck Nyoni and Roy Phiri were among the people who also came to say goodbye to the man who was also a menace to defenders also in neighbouring South Africa where he played for AmaZulu and won the CocaCola Trophy in the early 1990s under the late Clive Barker, becoming one of the first Zimbabweans to win silverware in that country.
The late Mwale’s younger brother Thomas Chimenya, a former Railstars and Chicken Inn striker, who is now based in South Africa, spoke glowingly about his departed elder brother.
“My brother was a very kind man, a very supportive person who was always there for us and even the community. He was a true football person and I am happy that I am also a former football player as I followed through his steps. He was now our deputy parent. However, we are pledging to unconditionally support his family,” said Thomas who played football alongside the likes of Mthulisi Maphosa, Edward Tembo, Mkhokheli Dube and Felix Chindungwe, among others, in Tshabalala high density suburb.
The departed Mwale was a towering left-footed star whose dribbling and pace reportedly earned him the nickname John Barnes after the England and Liverpool legend.
However, a serious injury in 1993 prematurely ended his promising career, forcing him into an unexpected retirement.
He first showcased his talents at Masuku Primary School and later, Ihlathi High School, both located in Tshabalala.
He was born in a family of 12 children, Rodrick (late), Ester, Stephen, Christine, Teresea, Vincent (late), Cecilia, Thomas, Reuben, Modesta and Milicent.
The late Mwale is survived by his wife Agnes and four children Natasha (32), Ashley (31), Wendy (28) and Ayanda (25).
The Mwale-Chimenya family lost their father Arnold. — @FungaiMuderere.
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