Online Reporter
Temba Dube
Sathengu Eddie Nyika/ Sathengu Eddie Dube/ Sesthengu Eddie May/ Sekuselu Eddie Murphy!
The chants, composed in honour of Eddie May, who guided Highlanders to the 2001 and 2002 league titles, were pivotal in the club’s “four-in-a-row” dominance period (1999–2002) that hit Barbourfields like a tidal wave, a black-and-white storm that drowns out reason and fills every corner of the stadium with pure Bosso passion.
By the time Highlanders step onto the pitch on Sunday, the air will vibrate with song, and anyone standing in the Soweto End knows that football here is not just a game, it is a religion.
Barbourfields has long been a fortress, but it becomes otherworldly when Highlanders are in full flow and the faithful are in full voice.
The supporters do not just cheer, they craft spontaneous lyrics, punchy catchphrases that can lift a striker to improbable heights or bring a coach to the brink. “Intoyenzayo, siyazonda!” breaks out if the crowd is unhappy, a cry that freezes defenders and forces the opposition to hear every grievance before the whistle even blows.
In 2015 when Bongani Mafu misstepped — according to the fans — the haunting hymn “Ufu Mafu, izwa mazwi ami, uma bekuxotsha abanye, mawungizwe lami” rose, a reminder that Bosso culture punishes error as much as it celebrates brilliance.
This Sunday, the stakes are high. Benjani Mwaruwari’s first test as Highlanders coach will be measured not just by goals or tactics, but by whether he earns the crowd’s unwavering roar. Bosso fans do not grant belief lightly — they demand it. And when belief is earned, they sing with the intensity of thousands of voices, carrying players through impossible tackles, perfect passes, and breathtaking finishes.
The 12th man is real here; 30 000 strong, their songs reverberate through Bulawayo, across Matabeleland, and into the hearts of every Highlanders player.
By the end of the 90 minutes, expect a crescendo.
From “Sathengu Eddie May” celebrating their club’s glorious past, to inventive chants targeting Dynamos missteps, the Soweto End will be alive with song.
Will it be for Benjani? If Highlanders perform, yes. The names of heroes past like Adam Ndlovu, Johannes Ngodzo, and Honour Gombami will intertwine with the present, a musical lineage driving the team forward.
If not… well, the Intoyenzayo chant will slice through the night air, sharp as a knife.
Statistics show that Bosso perform better at home, most of their victories at BF in the past five seasons were influenced by the roar of their supporters.
They have turned ordinary fixtures into supernatural displays, with defenders sprinting faster, strikers leaping higher, and goalkeepers pulling off saves that defy physics.
It’s not superstition; it’s culture. It’s the song.
Sunday promises to be another epic chapter. The Jairos Jiri Charity Cup may look small in football lore, but the atmosphere will be anything but.
From the first minute to the last whistle, Highlanders’ fans will set the rhythm, pace and tone. Black and white will dominate, Dynamos will tremble and a city united by song will witness football at its rawest, loudest and most beautiful.
Barbourfields is not just a stadium—it is a symphony and Bosso fans are the conductors. By the end of the game, one question will linger in every heart: what will they be singing?
