Yesteryear Greats with Lovemore Dube
SUNDAY 5 May 1974 will always remain special to the hearts of die-hard Zimbabwe Saints supporters.
This is because it is when the club joined the elite group of clubs to have won national tournaments.
Prior to 1975 when national leaders wanted an end to trivial tribal fights in Bulawayo in preference of all energies being channelled to unity of purpose that was fighting for the liberation of the country, Saints were called Mashonaland United.
Until then Chikwata carried the “nearly men” tag and looked with envy at regional clubs Highlanders and Wankie (Hwange). Of the three up to 1974, Saints had never won a cup final at national level despite reaching the BAT Rosebowl Cup finals in 1966 and 1967.
Yet of the three clubs from the region, they were the first to play in a national league when they joined in 1963.
Pressure was always on them and when they reached the 1974 BAT Rosebowl final, a match against Callies of Harare, they went into the game as underdogs.
The Chronicle headlines screamed: “Majestic United swamp Callies.”
Yet in the preview written by David Ncube, The Chronicle’s star soccer writer of the time, the headline read: “It’s experience vs talent in Rosebowl.”
“Even ODDS are a fair forecast for the BAT Rosebowl final between Mashonaland United and Salisbury Callies at Rufaro Stadium tomorrow afternoon,” was the intro to the story.
“Not that it worries Mashonaland United being fancied the underdogs. It suits us perfectly,” Saints chairman Reuben Zemura had been quoted as saying.
Saints had nothing to lose and they were indeed less fancied to win the match.
Yet the line up at their disposal was mouthwatering and a team one had to lay his bet on for football’s sake.
But history indeed made them underdogs as Salisbury Callies had a good history and in their ranks were already a number of pieces in their trophy cabinet.
For bragging rights the crop of Gibson Homela, William Sibanda, Zebron Magorimbo, Moses “Madala Boy” Moyo that season’s most outstanding player, Isaac Chipangura, Ebson “Sugar” Muguyo, Max Tshuma, Francis Ngara, Emmanuel Sibanda, Chita Antonio, Adam Maseko, Robert Taremba, Phineas Chideme, Mapleni Nyathi and Onesimo Maphosa, there was a talent worth any challenge in the land.
It was actually a mystery that Saints had never won a national tournament.
Their neighbours from the region, Wankie now Hwange had two Castle Cup triumphs to boast of, a 1970 conquest of Arcadia and the 1973 win over Dynamos in a marathon penalty shootout.
Highlanders on the other side had Saints to thank for the return to the elite league in 1973. Saints were facing relegation in 1972 and to save them the blushes, their administration convinced the John Madzima leadership to have a North and South Region League set up. The winners would then play in a national play off to determine league champions.
So in 1973 Highlanders who had finished second to Ramblers were part of the Rhodesia National Football League South Region. Highlanders won the championship and lost 4-1 to Metals Box inspired by the likes of Oliver Kateya, Chita Antonio and Sunday Chidzambwa.
Highlanders had won the Chibuku Trophy 3-0 over Mangula (Mhangura) for their first national competition victory.
With part of the fanfare back then a bit tribal as Highlanders were called Matabeleland Highlanders and Chikwata Mashonaland United, Saints had to stand up and be counted. That entailed winning also a national tournament.
They had in their ranks Homela, Maseko, Aleck Mwanza, Mapara and William Sibanda who had been part of the 1969 Rhodesia World Cup squad that faltered at the last hurdle for the Mexico World Cup finals.
Homela, Mapara, Mwanza and Sibanda had made the cut.
Highlanders had just in that season joined the regional Division Two league from the Bulawayo African Football Association in 1969.
Pressure was definitely on for Saints to deliver for their supporters’ sake.
Callies had on their way to the cup final knocked out Highlanders the 1974 national champions in the second round and dumped Dynamos in the semi-finals. A Goliath versus David duel was on the cards with Callies under John McLaughlin seemed out on a routine to protect their integrity against minnows.
Every game, should always be a new competition.
And that cup final proved that.
Saints were described by The Herald’s Alan Hlatywayo as a super fit and mobile unit who were assured of victory before goals flowed.
“They pinned down Callies in an unshakable vice grip. It was difficult to imagine that Mashonaland United had never before won a cup final,” wrote Hlatywayo, himself a former teacher and Dynamos winger.
Sibanda, Tshuma and Moyo marshalled the midfield with the hungry jackals in attack Antonio, Ngara and Mapara.
Ngara, a cunning finisher scored a goal, with Antonio on target too and the other came from Homela who had collected the ball from his own half and raced for 30m before letting go a screamer that gave Water Lowrie no chance in goal for Callies.
Doug Smith scored Callies’ consolation goal.
Hlatywayo had gone on to write that such games create heroes.
Moyo, Tshuma and Homela were the heroes of that great afternoon for Bulawayo and Zimbabwe Saints legacy setting run.
Callies had a great coach and notable stars in Martin Gillan, Raymond Muller, Doug Smith, Nimmo Schillachi and Lesway.
With that win, Saints had announced their arrival on the big stage.
Despite a barren 1975, Chikwata were on the podium again in 1976 winning the Chibuku Trophy final, a sumptuous 4-0 humiliation of neighbours Highlanders in a city derby played at Rufaro Stadium.
Homela, who had been flown from the United Kingdom for that match, was “destroyer in chief” with a brace with Tshuma scoring the other two in the 4-0 win.
With their stock rising, there was nothing to stop Dynamos, the 1976 league and Southern Africa champions from hammering them 8-1 in the final of the Castle Cup then the Football Association Cup.
But their best season ever turned out to be the 1977 campaign that yielded a Castle Cup win and the championship for the first league and cup double by a Bulawayo side.
While Highlanders had won the championship in 1974, it was a national play-off between the winners of the North and South Regions, here were Chikwata walking tall from a national league that embraced teams from both regions playing home and away.
Two other years were added to the team’s success chapters the 1979 Castle Cup victory over Dynamos, Chibuku Trophy runners-up with probably the best Caps United team who would eclipse them to win the league play-off again as championship had been turned to a North and South regional races.
The last of Saints was 1988 when they reached the Rothmans Shield Cup final, won the Chibuku and league, since then the club has known little peace.
In Bulawayo and Zimbabwe’s Hall of Fame Saints will certainly have a slot with its galaxy of stars over the years.