ALOISE Zhwaki Lunga is happy that Makokoba’s famed 11 Street soccer pitch has received a facelift.
He said the fencing and erection of floodlights is perpetuating the legacy of a very rich sporting history of a football ground that many a great player was groomed at.
The list is not exhaustive as the legendary Peter Ndlovu and his footballing brothers Greater, Adam, Marko and Madinda played there as youngsters. Netsai Moyo, Gift Lunga Snr, Derrick Sithole, Todd Nyadzira, Zenzo Moyo, Dampion Ngwenya, Ananias Dube, Posani Sibanda, Nkululeko Dlodlo, Teenage Hadebe, Nqobizitha Masuku, Thabani ‘Bigger’ Moyo, Matambanashe Sibanda, Tanny Banda, Joe Banda, Obadiah Chiwetu, Nhamo Shambira, Tito Paketh, Simba Nyakudziwanza, Makheyi Nyathi, Nkanyiso Xaba, Bethania Phiri and Abraham Mbambo are among the great talents that played at field as young boys.
Most did so in informal matches while others belonged to organised clubs like Mashonaland United and Mhlangeni. Last week, Sunday News Leisure caught up with a man who has seen it all at the famed soccer pitch, Lunga who has since the late 1960s been a regular at the pitch.
Teenage Hadebe
“Many football players came through my tutelage, Peter Ndlovu, a legendary figure came through my hands, Adam Ndlovu, Makheyi Nyathi, Gift Lunga Snr, Abraham Mbambo, Netsai Moyo, they are far too many. Because of a lack of resources, we used to lose many players to teams like Highlanders. This is the very pitch that the boys were groomed,” said Lunga during the interview at 11 St pitch known to many as Mazai.
Lunga was born in Bulawayo’s Mpilo Hospital on 27 August 1960 and attended nearby Lotshe Primary School before proceeding to Njube Secondary School.
He played for Mashonaland United Under-12s who were coached by Peter Chikepe and managed by former Zimbabwe Saints defender Matambanashe Sibanda’s father. Growing up in Makokoba with soccer a big hit, he said spare time for kids was spent at either Thabiso Youth Centre or at Mazai pitch.
“I have been associated with 11 Street from childhood. I grew up here and in adult life I still find myself at home when I see activity here. Soccer has been an important aspect of life here and I am so happy that Community Development Funds from Government have been put to good use. This has been overdue. We tried as a community to raise funds on our own before but we never got anywhere because of the situation,” said Lunga a respected community leader in Makokoba.
He said up to 1986, the pitch had a dedicated grounds man working for the Bulawayo City Council. It had green turf and looked good. There was so much activity, kids playing on their own and club action with teams like Mhlangeni and Mashonaland United having used it for training with BAFA and Zifa action during weekends.
“The grounds man would water the pitch on Friday night and return on Sunday evening to put watering pipes until Tuesday. The pump stopped functioning in 1986 leading to the grass eventually wearing out. We failed to take ownership as residents leading to the dusty patch of land 11 Street is today. However, in recent years, every time the rains stop we gather volunteers from the community to clear the pitch of grass and weeds. The legacy set by those before us must live on and as Makokoba we dream of more stars coming through,” said the man whose playing career was cut at the age of 17.
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He began his flirtation with coaching though later he became a referee. In 1977 he started coaching kids at 11 Street. He remembers the likes of Hagai Moyo, Netsai Moyo, Madinda Ndlovu training with his team Mhlangeni.
“Madinda would train with us but not come for matches. He showed flashes of the great player he became later,” said Lunga.
Lunga had a stint too with Ma40ties a team owned by a taxi operator. He said Mhlangeni was able to attract a lot of talent because the sponsor, a Mr Nyathi worked at Stanley Square.
“Nyathi would allow all Mhlangeni players free entry into Stanley Square for movies. It was a good way to attract the best and numbers,” said Lunga.
Lunga corrected a perception held by many that Peter Ndlovu started his career at Highlanders FC. Of the legend Peter, Lunga said the former Coventry star at some stage had been advised to quit his team by his family after a training session incident.
“I punished Peter Ndlovu. I asked him to do 10 laps and he opted to be beaten. So I used to hit players at the back with a whistle. I happened to have hit him on the back of the head and he bled. Peter went home and there I was not expecting any problem when in the blink of an eye I had Peter’s mother, elder sister Maria, his eldest brother Greater and Marko all on me on why I had injured the boy. They declared that Peter would never play football again at Mhlangeni,” said Lunga.
Peter Ndlovu
Peter joined Mhlangeni at the age of nine and because of his talent and big heart, he was made to play with bigger boys in the Under-12s. Lunga said Peter liked being close to a ball and would never mingle with others once at the field.
“He was on the quieter side and always wanted to be next to the ball. He had skill and pace. He could take on bigger boys and at training he played it simple and to instruction,” said Lunga.
Lunga said Peter was like Adam with the difference being the daredevil spirit that saw him play with much older guys. At the age of 12 Highlanders snapped Peter Ndlovu.
“Ali Dube came to 11 Street and took Peter Ndlovu. He said that Highlanders Elders wanted the boy. We were a small team and just like that Peter Ndlovu left us for Highlanders without any compensation. There are too many boys I coached at Mhlangeni who made it at bigger clubs and we were never compensated for our efforts. Our prayers have always been that some may return home and spruce up the 11 Street pitch,” said Lunga.
Because the club was now a conveyor belt of talent, Mhlangeni became a regular feature at Barbourfields Stadium. Lunga recalls an incident in which previously unbeaten Bosso Under-14s were beaten 1-0 by Mhlangeni.
“It was as rare as the sun rising in the west, we lead 1-0 and the referee added his time and the game wore on until 1330 hours, a time at which the main curtain raiser match was expected to have started. Highlanders used to beat other teams, 13-0, 7-0, 5-0, but we stunned them on that day.
“At the end of the match Ali Dube was very angry. He said we were not supposed to beat his team as that would be a bad omen for the senior team. Instead of allowing us to stay on and watch seniors on an afternoon, they faced Wankie FC, Dube saw us out of the stadium despite our pleas. We used to nurture great talent there,” said Lunga.
Bosso beat Wankie 1-0 that afternoon. Lunga regards Adam as his best player he worked with and concedes that one of the brightest attacking players of the mid to late 1980s era, Nkululeko Dlodlo did not reach his true potential.
“Adam was my best, Nkululeko was red hot but did not reach the heights he had threatened to scale,” he said.
Lunga said Clement Chimimba one of Bulawayo’s unsung coaching heroes continues to work with talent at 11 Street. In recent years Tafadzwa Dliwayo who plays in United Arab Emirates and Dynamos’ Brendon Mpofu have all been groomed at the facility.
Lunga said the next challenges are to ensure that the perimeter fence is not vandalised. But already a solar panel for one of the flood lights has been stolen. He is excited that the Girl Child will soon have a netball court erected for her while a car park will ensure there is security for vehicles at the facility. Lunga remains optimistic that Zimbabwe is yet to see the best from 11 Street, Makokoba.