ON Friday afternoon Sunday News Leisure had a surprise visitor in legendary football dribbling wizard Boy Ndlovu, whose illustrious career saw him turn out for Bulawayo Wanderers/Eagles, Highlanders, Jomo Sono Cosmos, Zimbabwe Under-20, Under-23 and the Warriors.
He was in the company of Collen Ngwenya who is the chairman of the South African Chapter of Bulawayo Wanderers/Eagles Mazhiya Former Players Association. It is a group of former supporters and players of the team that was based in Iminyela or White City from the mid 1960s to early 1990s. The association is on a drive to revive football in the area.
Eagles left an indelible mark on the local scene where they touched the hearts of many with a free-flowing brand of football whose firm foundation was natural talent played to its best possible, woven into a team effort.
It was literally, a walk down memory lane with the player fans called the Menace. He feared no defender and even to this day Bulawayo fans who were at Barbourfields Stadium one afternoon in 1983, insist it was Boy Ndlovu who ended legendary centre-back Sunday Chidzambwa’s career.
Barbourfields Stadium
Ndlovu got the ball on the Edgars’ end of the Mpilo goalpost area at Barbourfields, beat a defender, twisted left and right and had Chidzambwa’s foot stuck on the turf and another body swerve had Japhet Mparutsa diving to the opposite direction.
Boy Ndlovu (left0 stresses a point while Collen Ngwenya looks on
The nippy winger had the simplest task of rolling the ball past the goal line with Chidzambwa and Zimbabwe’s best goalkeeper Mparutsa sprawling on the turf beaten clean. They were township boys who had grown up playing street football to hone their skills and had brilliant players such as Mapleni Nyathi, Melusi Doctor Sibanda and the legendary Majuta Mpofu who played in the 1970s as their role models at Eagles.
Ndlovu took Sunday Leisure through one memorable match the club had in the early 1980s when they beat Rio Tinto 3-0 at Rimuka Stadium. Preparations for that match typified the existing Eagles problem of low sponsorship as club director Advocate Kennedy Sibanda, a national hero had been squeezed by football to the limit financially to make it one real problem at the club.
Boy related how Elvis “Chuchu” Chiweshe and himself had been paid their winning bonus immediately after hammering Gweru United 6-0 in a home match the previous Sunday. Their teammates expected to be paid on Tuesday as was the norm with most Super League clubs back then.
“We were going to play Rio Tinto that Sunday. Most players did not know what was happening. ‘Chuchu’ and myself were going to the national team and were paid soon after the Gweru United match. We agreed to meet at the Large City Hall Car Park which was our usual meeting place. At Eagles, we were one and Chuchu and myself were the most vocal over the issue as we threatened not to travel. Others were eventually given money and were surprised to see me and Chuchu not getting any money after club manager James Banda had run around,” said Ndlovu.
He said such was the team spirit at the club that it would not have been fair not to fight for their colleagues more so that he was the team captain. Ndlovu wielded power and confidence and club boss Sibanda believed in him. At midday the most logical thing appeared to be to forgo the match as it was already too late to travel over 340 km for the fixture.
It was also not an ordinary Rio Tinto but one of the strongest teams of that era with the likes of Joshua Phiri, John Phiri, Wonder Phiri, Anderson Maphosa, Ephert Lungu and David Mwanza.
“I was the captain and we decided, let’s fix this old man (Advocate Sibanda), let’s go and win the match and increase his debt to us. John Banda had a pick up truck and there was a Maseko who had a Mazda 323,” said Ndlovu.
The Mazda 323 took some players. The plan was that when they got to the stadium they would say the guys had a breakdown but were on their way. The first car arrived earlier as expected and reported the unfortunate “incident” and at 3.45pm the rest of the team drove in.
From left to right- Collen Ngwenya, Boy Ndlovu, Vusumuzi Dube and Limukani Ncube
“We found Rio Tinto waiting for us. The referee gave us 15 minutes to be ready and at 4pm the match started,” said the Menace.
“We went to half-time with a score line of 0-0. It was a pulsating performance that day. After half-time a Rio Tinto defender held the ball in the box and the referee ignored it. We laughed at the incident. A second incident similar to the first happened and he pointed to the spot and I scored the resultant penalty. Our left-back Stoneshed Moyo hit a ferocious shot that made it 2-0. I then got a pass and Raphael Phiri in goal thought I would dribble as usual but I chipped the ball over him. It was a great performance,” said Ndlovu.
He said after the third goal Rio Tinto coach John Rugg walked off the bench in frustration. Their great performance won them admirers.
“After the match, three elderly men came over and said since birth they had never seen a team play so well and dominate Rio Tinto at home,” said the former Warriors winger and several times Soccer Star of the Year finalist.
Ndlovu concurred with his former teammate Ngwenya that the foundation of the team was to allow individual brilliance to flourish on the field. Getting players to express themselves on the field of play.
“It was more like a boys’ team anyone could come to Eagles and play if talented,” he added.
Both said playing for Highlanders at that time was difficult as the Mzilikazi factor made it difficult for anyone coming from elsewhere. They gave the example of now Assistant Commissioner in the Zimbabwe Republic Police Kenneth Thebe, who was discarded by Highlanders.
“When Neh (Thebe) came to us he flourished and so did Francis Paketh,” said Ndlovu.