WATCH: Schools, clubs behind football legends

INTENSE competition at clubs and an inter-schools league is what brewed stars of the yesteryear era.

Benjamin Mpofu better known in football circles and Mzilikazi neighbourhood as Benjie Sikhwama believes there were more talented footballers in an era without research and sports science. He said footballers improved their skills through intensive competition at all stages of their growth.

He said playing “Square” and “Inter-Square” football informally was a key element in the development of players. Playing as peers he said allowed the boys the freedom to experiment and improve their craft and when they got to structured development be at a team’s juniors or youth club football, many would have mastered the basic junior development fundamentals of the game.

“Growing up we had intensive competition against other clubs in the city. At school too, the competition was intense and it drew the best in us and that is the reason we had a lot of very good players back then,” said Mpofu a star for Highlanders in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The former Bosso winger who played for the club when there was intense competition during the days of Tommy Masuku, Christopher “Bha(wa)” Sibanda, Isaac Mafaro and Cavin Duberley on Bosso’s wings, was born in Bulawayo on 10 October 1948.

He attended Lobengula Primary School in Mzilikazi where he remembers playing with the likes of Billy Sibanda, Lawrence Phiri, Bha(wa) and Stanford Mpofu who says was so good but unfortunately never got to play on the bigger stages of the game.

Mpofu proceeded to Mahlabezulu when the school that would later move to Tshabalala was near the Mzilikazi Youth Centre. There he recalls one Kenneth Sparks who played for Highlanders as one of the top players he shared the dressing room with.

He continued playing football at Mzilikazi High School which he kept calling Mgandane with fondness where he said he played school team football with legends Paul “Staff Nurse” Tsumbe, Billy Sibanda, Lawrence Phiri and Sparks.

“My schools were quite strong in football and I remember we won several cups and the most difficult teams were Lozikeyi, Mzilikazi and St Columba’s Primary Schools. Football was competitive and exciting among us school boys and we enjoyed ourselves,” said the soft-spoken Mpofu.

While at secondary school, Mpofu said he joined the local boys’ club Kwanongoma in Mzilikazi where they were exposed to dancing, choral music, sloga tennis and other games that helped keep youths from social ills.

He stuck to his passion of football and eventually found refuge in Eastern Brothers dominated by businessmen from Manicaland.

He paid tribute to a Mr Mthombeni who coached him at Lobengula Primary School. “He motivated me, he was a good football coach and he taught me basics of the game,” said Mpofu.

At the club he had the likes of dribbling wizard Tommy Masuku, Phiri, Sibanda and Mpofu.

“I had some of my schoolmates at Lobengula and Mzilikazi playing for Eastern Brothers like Barry Daka and at the club we got a lot of inspiration from a Mr Bhebhe, he helped us become the footballers we got to be,” said Mpofu.

He described how he moved from Eastern Brothers around 1966-67 as a case of bitterness by a Mr Mutsago who was an Eastern Brothers official which he said helped amplify their greatness as Highlanders became a stronger force.

“Mutsago was Eastern Brothers secretary. Eastern Brothers changed to Eastlands a once dominant Bulawayo club on the national scene. Mutsago was not re-elected secretary and he took a big number of us to Highlanders bitter with what had happened at the club. So many of us had played junior and club football together for a while and we helped Highlanders win promotion to the national league in 1970 and in 1971, we played in the Rhodesia National Football League (RFNL)” said the man of a few words.

Mpofu saw Highlanders gain  promotion back to the league in 1972 after they finished second to Rangers in the regional promotion league. They had been relegated to Division Two in 1971 after amassing seven points the whole season having been promoted in 1970.

Mpofu who enjoyed taking on defenders said the 1973 Chibuku Trophy triumph over Mangula (Mhangura) and the regional league title were among his career highs.

“We were an unknown quantity but everyone got to know Highlanders and that is when the song ‘Ngubani owayekhona mzwana kudlala iHighlander eRufaro’ was coined,” said Mpofu.

He said the whole of Bulawayo got engulfed in that triumphant spirit.

“The people were so excited. We became overnight celebrities because no team from Bulawayo had in those recent years won big,” said Mpofu.

Mpofu said at Highlanders they played for the badge as the club did not pay much. He said city derbies were something else with a few skirmishes on the field between the teams’ “henchmen” but the drama tended to be outside.

“Once the fixture between Highlanders and Zimbabwe Saints then Mashonaland was known, there would be fights over debate as to who would win. After the match that would continue in the streets over how the referee handled the match.

The rivalry was so intense that even drinking beer with players from Saints was risky as they could have been beaten up and that was the case with us as well in their preferred shebeens,” said Mpofu who says up to today he does not know why fans called him Sikhwama.

Mpofu left Highlanders and spent a couple of months in 1974 and played under legendary Mwape Sakala for Wankie (Hwange).

He recalls playing alongside Amos Rendo, Isaac Phiri and Rodrick Simwanza.

On his return, Mpofu worked at Kango and later Joan The Florist before retiring to his Mzilikazi home. He admired left-footed Mzilikazi Bomber, Matthew “303” Marume who was a star in the generation of Dusty King and legendary goalkeeper John “Walker” Chipukula.

Mpofu said in the Friday afternoon interview with Zimpapers Sports Hub that Dynamos, Metal Box, St Pauls and Mangula were the toughest clubs of his era. He described former Highlanders coach Silas Ndlovu as a shrewd tactician who knew what he was doing.

“Silas turned Highlanders around when he replaced Chris Mhlanga whom we had played with. We had a great time at the club and when I retired after my return from Hwange, I was content with having played with some of the best players in Zimbabwe, James Nxumalo, Josiah Nxumalo, Itai Chieza, Stanley Nyika, Chutika Tembo, Isaac Mafaro, Billy Sibanda, Zenzo Dabengwa, Ananias Dube, Bruce Grobbelaar, Lawrence Phiri, Cavin Duberley, Kenny Sparks and Boet Van Ays,” said Mpofu who now lives in Mzilikazi’s ‘Q’ Square and this week saw his childhood friend Christopher ‘Bha(wa)’ Sibanda breathe his last.

Sibanda also a winger at school and clubs was buried at Umvutshwa Cemetery on Thursday having died on Monday after a battle with prostate cancer.

Mpofu is married to Magaret Dube and they have two daughters Ellen (50) and Melody (48).

One of his three grandsons Innocent Maworera plays rugby.