Chronicle Editor
Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
HE was born by two legends.
His father Lenny Gwata is one of the finest players the country has ever produced.
At his prime he played for both Highlanders and Dynamos, making him one of the few players to cross the great divide.
His mother Beater Mangete did not only make Bulawayo dance, but her music belted out from almost every amusement place in the country.
Who can forget her collaboration with sungura maestro Aleck Macheso on the song Mafaro and the hit song Makokoba.
Sadly, Wesley Gwata, would lose his parents in 2010 within two months. He was only 15 years old when misfortune befell him.
“It was a really tough period when l lost my parents. I did not know what it felt like to lose someone when my dad died. While I was still trying to process that loss then my mother also passed away and that was a very difficult time for me. After that I really don’t know what happened or how it happened for me to even be here today,” said Wesley.
Since then he has been working to make a name for himself.
The 25-year-old footballer has been to South Africa for some years searching for that major breakthrough.
He told Chronicle Sport that he sometimes feels the pressure to emulate his father’s exploits on the field of play.
With all that his father achieved in local football, Wesley feels that his shoes are too big to fill.
“To a lesser extent I feel the pressure to do more of what my father did, but it’s a huge task. However, I’m sure that had I not been a breadwinner at a young age and left football in the country to go to South Africa, I think I would have achieved a fair share of my own personal achievements in football. But I believe all hope is not lost, I can still make something out of my career,” said Wesley.
“My father was a legend and trying to achieve what he did with the responsibilities and current situations is a difficult task. The medals he got can finish a mukwa oil bottle when cleaning them. My father played for big teams in the country, but personally I would really love to play for Highlanders,” he said.
His father played as defender, but he feels his strength is playing as a striker or either side of the wing.
His journey in football started at a tender age.
“I started playing for Highlanders juniors before I crossed the floor to the now defunct AmaZulu. From there I went back to Highlanders’ Division Two junior side and played for two years before I joined Zimbabwe Leopards, now known as Bantu Leopards. From that time I have been at Bulawayo City where I was training before the lockdown.”
He added that the lockdown had given him an opportunity to keep fit and improve his mental aspects of his game.
“I believe my strength as a player is my pace, while my weakness is struggling to play powerplay football, but I have been working on that part of my game. I have been doing some workouts at home, but it’s been really hectic without kicking the ball. It would have been better if maybe we were training,” he said. — @innocentskizoe
Online Reporter