SIFISO Mguni, who died in Cosmo City, Johannesburg, South Africa on 23 January rates among the best players to move from Bulawayo and find glory in the capital, Harare.
He was 49 at the time of his death after suffering from an undisclosed illness. A handful national team appearances while turning out for the army side, Black Rhinos and an appearance on the Soccer Stars of the Year calendar were a healthy return from his move from Bulawayo where he cut his teeth at Magwegwe West`s Young Blood before a move to Highlanders FC that would result in him earning a league title medal along some of Bosso`s greatest players.
Sadly as he lies at a Johannesburg morgue, the club that catapulted him to stardom, Highlanders and his many Bulawayo teammates, have been conspicuous by their silence and absence from consoling the grieving family in Bulawayo`s Queens Park suburb.
Itai Masawi, Geoffrey Ndlovu, Don Cameron and the late Sifiso Mguni during their Black Rhinos days
Something very familiar where our football heroes are forgotten the moment the last whistle blows on the pitch for them. There is no image value in our legends for the impact they had in the community, game and teams they played for especially in Bulawayo where divisions rank high among the former players and legends with very visible fissures.
At the time of writing as the family was making frantic efforts to bring the body home for burial, Ephraim Mazarura, his Black Rhinos teammates and other Harare former players have a bus load ready to come and bid farewell to a gallant hero who enhanced the Bosso and army sports brands through telling performances on the pitch.
Mguni was a gem plucked from the ghetto and went through the old successful football mill that had street action, Bulawayo primary schools, youth clubs and citywide league action as key pillars that dove-tailed into each other to produce hundreds of brilliant footballers.
Madinda Ndlovu
That pathway gave Bulawayo and the world Madinda Ndlovu, Willard Khumalo, Tito Paketh, Peter Ndlovu, Rahman Gumbo, Agent Sawu, Henry Mckop, Doughty Sithole, Benjani Mwaruwari, Noel Kaseke, Joel Luphahla and Zenzo Moyo.
Mguni was born at Pelandaba Clinic on 14 August 1973 as the fourth born in a family that had three sisters who survive him while two brothers passed on.
His father, Phineas was a celebrated striker in Bulilima District in the 1960s from the Yalala Area of the district and football was the family’s favourite sport. Phineas wanted his son to concentrate on academics but Sifiso was just a football bug.
Benjani Mwaruwari
He grew up in New Magwegwe and attended Mhali Primary School with Itai Masawi, a skillful rightback in his time, Reason Sibanda who played for Bulawayo Wanderers juniors and former Zesa Hwange,
Zimbabwe Saints and Rhinos star Cassious Siziba his closest buddies in the late 1970s to his adulthood.
Surprisingly though Zimbabwe got to watch him as Willard Khumalo`s successor at Bosso because he was burly and nearly matched him for everything on the pitch in terms of skill and technique, Sifiso started off as a goalkeeper.
His elder sister Zanele Keti remembers one particular day after making it into the Mhali team that the plumpy brother came home donning the school kit for everyone to see.
“We laughed so much that day. Sifiso was born a big baby and maintained that at primary school. He caught us by surprise when he returned home putting on the Number One jersey proudly displaying his achievement. We could not believe how a chubby chap could be entrusted with guarding the posts, Sifiso of all the people,” said Zanele with a chuckle.
From Mhali, Sifiso got a place at Gifford High School where he was able to continue with his football.
But his dad Phineas was not happy with the Young Blood star’s many hours spent on the field and far from books and in 1990 he shipped him to Inyathi Mission, a boarding school in Bubi District where he completed his O-Levels and fared much better than he was doing at Gifford.
“Our dad wanted better for us in life and he thought that education was the key and Sifiso as the only boy had to do better. He transferred him to stay with an uncle at Inyathi and got him a place at Inyathi High School where he completed his O Levels and fared well,” said Zanele.
After Inyathi his dad got him a job at Radiator and Tinning where he also worked but that appeared to be a waste of time as Sifiso soon found his mark, making it into the Highlanders FC reserve team and quit the job.
The late Benjamin Konjera
He was in and out of the first team in 1992 and 1993 but was ever present in the match-day squad dishing out performances that left many fans convinced he was a Willard Khumalo reincarnate as the Warriors legend was tiring because of age.
It was not an ordinary Bosso midfield as there was Makheyi Nyathi, Khumalo, Amin Soma Phiri, Lovemore Ncube, Benjamin Nkonjera and Gumbo to contend with. He did enough to earn the 1993 Blue Ribbon Foods Premier League title won by Highlanders FC.
According to Itai Masawi, there were problems with salaries at Bosso then an opportunity arose in 1994 for them to move to Shu-shine Wolves who paid well and were eager to return to the Premiership. In hindsight Masawi thinks the Shu-Shine route was well orchestrated by Roy Barreto who was on his way out of Highlanders FC as they were his first targets when he joined Black Rhinos in 1995.
“He would coach us at Shu-Shine, bring Rhinos to train at BG Grounds with us. Even when the army team had a game say in Hwange, they would have some days in Bulawayo and train with us. At Shu-Shine I had Siziba, Itai Godzamapere and Benjamin Moyo,” said Masawi.
When he moved to Rhinos Barreto called up the quartet and Darlington Phiri from Zesa Hwange. But while at Highlanders Sifiso and Itai were presented with a life changing opportunity a chance to join Supersport under Kaizer Chiefs legend Shane Macgreggor.
“Sunday News sports correspondent Tito Asani recommended us to his friend Julian Dube who was a journalist based in South Africa. Dube and Thomas Kwenaite put in a word for us and the next thing we were in Johannesburg for the trials. We played a four-team tournament in Bophuthatswana after some days of training with the team, despite losing in the semi-finals, we appeared to have done enough so much that the general manager of the club Stanley Matthews started talks with Highlanders. Bosso insisted that we return and the deal collapsed. After that we moved to Shu-Shine,” said Masawi who added that Barreto had on their return berated the South African league.
Sifiso and the Bulawayo brigade did not have it easy.
“It was as if the team was selected in Mbare. They loved to have their Mbare boys in the side so we had to work harder and eventually a match was organised for us to play the first team at Rhinos. We played so well that everyone was in agreement that we were first team material. Ian Gorowa and Bheki Ndlovu played on our side,” said Masawi.
Black Rhinos had played second fiddle to Caps United and Dynamos FC for almost a decade. The pressure was on the new recruits to turn the tide and when opportunity arose in the first derby in 1997 after Rhinos had been promoted from the Northern Region Division One League, Sifiso rose to it.
“We beat Caps United 3-1 and Sifiso scored two goals to announce our arrival. As if that was not enough, Rhinos had not beaten Dynamos for over a decade from the days of the legendary Stix M`tizwa. A few steps from the centreline Sifiso let go a scorcher that nestled at the back of the net to give us a big 1-0 win over Dynamos,” said Masawi.
Thabani Masawi
Masawi said Sifiso established himself as an integral part of the Rhinos machine that had Gorowa, Jack Mutandagari, Douglas Ndalama, Tichaona Mufundisi and Siziba. A workaholic, skillful midfielder who had vision, that incisive pass, stamina and a great shot from range, Sifiso earned his stripes for country by playing for the Warriors on a number of occasions and was even selected among the country`s most outstanding 11 players for the Castle Lager calendar.
Mguni retired in 2005 and quit the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) before venturing into business in Mutare, one of them the taxi industry. He lived in Mutare until 2019 when he joined the great trek to South Africa where he worked as a fitter and turner up to last year when bad health crept in. His teammates at Rhinos are at loss for words.
“I can’t still believe that uFiso is gone….I’m still in pain, what can we do useqedile indima yakhe, MHSRIP. He made me acclimatise at Rhinos and after I arrived from Kango alongside Barreto, Siziba and Bheki Ndlovu,” said former Rhinos defence stalwart Geoffrey Ndlovu.
His childhood chum Masawi had this to say: “I spent almost my entire career after Eagles having him as my teammate. He was more than a brother to me that wherever I was everyone knew that Sifiso was within my proximity. So it is indeed a great loss. I will forever miss him as we used to call each other Ewie after the great Bafana stocky rightback Nkambule.”
Sifiso’s sister Zanele said her brother loved to bring the family together whenever he was in Bulawayo.
There would be family, braai and drinks.
“He was too friendly, a very nice person to have as a brother, he will solely be missed,” she said.
Sifiso left behind a son Mlungisi a budding rugby star who was at Prince Edward High School. — Follow on Twitter @lovdub