HIGHLANDERS’ 1973 Chibuku Trophy 3-0 win over Mangula (now Mhangura) united people and parachuted the team to the top echelons of football. This is the assertion of former Bosso treasurer and organising secretary, Emmanuel Machizire Moyo.
As the organising secretary, one of his roles involved organising trips for the club.
“There were 21 buses that were booked from Pelandaba Bus Services who usually carried Highlanders and Pullen Buses to the cup final. Many private cars went too. Highlanders’ win united people in Harare, Gweru, and Bulawayo where we had supporters,” said Moyo.
He said that the match literally moved the whole of the country as there was so much excitement. Mangula were the odds on favourites fired by the Chieza brothers and the resolute Alex Masanjala at the back and their opponents were literally an unknown quantity.
There was a team Moyo had ascended with to the national football association structures in 1969 from Bafa. The following year Highlanders won the Second Division title and played in the national elite league in 1971.
Disaster struck as the team finished the season with a meagre seven points prompting a coup in the technical team instigated by some players which saw Silas Ndlovu take over from Chris Mhlanga as coach.
In 1972 Moyo’s Highlanders finished runners-up and were promoted to the South Region Rhodesia National Football League alongside Rangers the league winners. So getting to the cup final was a big bonanza for the Bulawayo side that had qualified for its first major national cup final.
“That was the turning point of the club and people began to take note and we had sound management with Mtshena Sidile having been in charge when we were rising from the Bulawayo African Football Association (Bafa) to the RFNL structures to the time when the team roared to the world in 1973 with Chris Zwambila as chairman and Alfred Zwambila among the sponsors and life president of the club. It was a big win for Highlanders to beat Mangula 3-0 and bring the trophy to
Bulawayo. We had flown with the players as officials and on our return there was a huge crowd and a long fleet of vehicles to meet us and celebrate,” said Moyo.
He said another crowning year during his term was 1974 when they were beaten in the final of the Chibuku Trophy, but were strong enough to clinch the regional title and national play-off.
It was the club’s first league title which was followed by the 1990 triumph which was sweetened by the Zifa Cup final win over Dynamos in which the late Adam Ndlovu scored a hat-trick to complete a unique double by the club.
“I will always remember our first league title. Silas was a hard working manager who was very organised and assembled a very strong team. Bruce Grobbelaar was a promising goalkeeper at Salisbury Callies but had Rhodesia number one Rob Jordan to deal with. So we got him to Highlanders after he agreed and he became our first choice goalkeeper,” said Moyo.
He spoke highly of Ndlovu whose tactics and man management skills he said were of the highest order.
His choice of players was great and his team beat all what came before them with Stanley Nyika, Itai Chieza, George Chieza, Chutika Tembo and Isaac Mafaro among the new additions to the 1973 team that won the Chibuku and regional title to finish second nationally to Metal Box which was driven by Oliver Kateya and Chita Antonio. Moyo spoke highly of the unity that existed at the club during those days.
“There was unity in all about Highlanders. Even the players that came from elsewhere were treated with respect like they were Bulawayo sons. Football was a unifying factor to our people,” said Moyo who runs Southfork Tools in the Bulawayo Central Business District.
He recalls working with Sidile, Paul Mpabanga and Douglas Mkhwananzi in the Highlanders executive and described them alongside the likes of Elijah Ngwane and Chris Zwambila as having been very committed club cadres who also benefited from very passionate fans and a growing fan base because of the results.
He recalls the team’s trying times, and the sense of common purpose and unity.
“We used to go and camp in the open in Silobini (Matobo) and sleep in the open. Our white players like Boet Van Ays, Martin Kennedy and Cavin Duberley did not mind putting up with the rest of the guys and eating whatever was prepared.
There was a great sense of discipline. That unity kept the team going for better results to appease members and fans,” said Moyo.
Moyo served at Highlanders up to about 1978/9 when he got saved and started attending the Assemblies of God in 1980.
He moved to the Apostolic Faith Mission of Africa in 2006. Moyo does not drink and smoke and attributes the two as the biggest threat to a footballer’s career alongside women.
When the North and South Regions were combined in 1976 after three consecutive seasons of regional play, Highlanders beat Dynamos 1-0 through an Itai Chieza goal.
“That is one match that I will never forget apart from the Chibuku Trophy victory. Our players played some brilliant football on that day and deservingly won,” said Moyo.
Moyo said it was during their time that Highlanders coined the names Bosso meaning boss of the teams, Tshilamoya (ongafuniyo kayekele) and Amahlolanyama as the fanfare grew up driven by brilliant performances on the field by stars like Tymon Mabaleka, Lawrence Phiri, Billy Sibanda, Edward Dzowa, Barry Daka, Itai Chieza, Jeffrey Mpofu, Ananias Dube, Josiah Nxumalo, Peter Bepe, James Nxumalo, Stanley Nyika, Cavin Duberley, Chris Mhlanga, Bruce Grobbelaar, Trust Moyo, Tennyson Mloyi and Zenzo Dabengwa.
“All the nicknames came during our time, we were untouchable, our fans base grew all over the country as we played breathtaking football,” said Moyo.
Moyo says in 44 years he has never had a call from Highlanders. He is worried that there seems to be no predecessor value at the club and nobody cares about institutional memory as well.
“We have been there, we love the club, we are part of its history and we want to share what we did and what we were also told about the history of this great club. Sadly, nobody has ever thought of inviting some of us to club activities including matches,” said Moyo.
Moyo is married with five children. Only one of his sons played up to college football in the United States of America. Moyo was born in Bulawayo on 25 February 1940 and attended St Francis’ Mission in Shurugwi under Chief Nhema. He proceeded to Kutama Mission where he wrote his O-levels in 1961.
He studied bookkeeping at Midlands Commercial College and advanced to the Institute of Certified Secretaries (CIS) by correspondence.
Moyo returned to Bulawayo in 1967 and became a volunteer at Highlanders especially with the juniors. He said he was involved in recruiting some of the young players of that time like former winger Chris Ba and his brother Mbence and goalkeeper Ananias Dube.
He said Bulawayo City Council had a vibrant club culture and talent was identified from the local authority’s youth centres.
He was later promoted to organising secretary and treasurer for his exceptional organising skills and his accounting background.
He successfully co-ordinated the mass movement to Harare for the Chibuku Trophy Cup final in which buses and a train load invaded the capital. In his youth he said he played football but not anything to talk about during the days of Bulawayo Wanderers, Zambia and Mashonaland United in the amateur ranks.
Moyo still lives in Bulawayo where he is running a business concern in the engineering and mining hardware sector.