Lovemore Dube
UNTIL December 1997 I had never met Madodana “Horsepower” Tshabangu in person.
Horse, as I called him, breathed his last at 17.50 hours in Johannesburg, South Africa last week.
He was 67.
I had only seen him on the field when he turned out for Contex alongside the late Titus Majola, Simon “Maphepha” Banda and Ernest Sibanda in a match against Pumula City Crackers which had the likes of Zibusiso Changunda in 1978.
He was a rugged long legged skinny central defender. So the relationship was that of a fan and a player. Our real first physical contact was in 1997 at Nhamo Rusamo’s office. The two were plotting something and media coverage was needed to make it succeed numbers-wise.
I took the details of what would happen and spent the next fortnight exchanging the assignment with my mate Limukani Ncube until the finals of what I could safely say was a great tournament, talent and numbers wise and those who bothered to come to Ross Camp had a wonderful time. The first was a bomb and the last ones a disaster. A team knocked out in the Round of 64 could find itself in semi-finals where six instead of four teams took part.
The reason for bringing in the first round losers was that they had a financial muscle to buy his beers and amangqina and nobody would trouble him. He was the ultimate boss, the organiser, match-fixer, appeals committee and disciplinary committee all in one. The subject of the collaboration with Rusamo was the inaugural Horsepower Tournament which had teams from major suburbs of Bulawayo.
There was the Magwegwe Select featuring one Benjani Mwaruwari putting on a Bermuda like shot, it had some forgotten old players, Timile Ncube and a couple of other youngsters, there was the Njube Select with a lot of unknowns, Mzilikazi, Emakhandeni/Lobengula and Makokoba had some younger players laced with veterans like Dereck Sithole. There was all to play for as there was some handsome financial reward for the winning team sponsored by Rusamo’s Rutz Medicals.
Horse cared less about proceedings on the field as referees took charge. He made sure alcohol was at every corner for a decent fee and that his inhloko, mangqina and cow head pieces sold well too. The eats were his, beer was a split with Rusamo. It is after this tournament that we grew closer with Horse as the Chronicle Sports Desk.
The tournament was a noble idea of bringing people together and providing entertainment during the Christmas season for the bored.
It became a talent-hunting haven for Premiership and lower division clubs, with Mwaruwari attracting several teams’ attention in the 1997 edition.
As the years went by Chronicle and Sunday News continued to support the event because of its positive social impact and football good service. With passage of time Horsepower, his friends Zesa and Diesel became close friends of mine. Horsepeower could walk into the newsroom anytime and share a diary item to be written. Whenever close to Chronicle he did not hesitate to drop in and ask for two things. The first was the day’s paper and something for Heroes Garden, a downtown drinking place where at some stage I thought he was a shareholder.
For social league fixtures, results and gossip, he was ever there drinking his Chibuku.
One year he sought sponsorship from Ingwebu for the event. Being a man bound by no ethics, Horsepower would sneak behind the scenes and gulp loads of Chibuku despite Ingwebu being the event opaque beer partner.
Not expecting being caught out, as he was busy with his Chibuku, suddenly members of Malvern Mpofu’s Ingwebu marketing team appeared and he lied saying he was drinking Ingwebu in a Chibuku container.
Horsepower was also a juniors’ soccer referee in Bulawayo. He used to tell us how one morning in Nkulumane he awarded a penalty against Ali “Baba” Dube’s Highlanders. With everyone expecting him to rush to the penalty spot, instead Horse ran the opposite direction a to a house of a family he knew to seek refuge in fear of Dube.
He got to be the man in charge of events in the Bulawayo Social Soccer League, we were to benefit from his “engineering” skills as Chronicle. When the Unity Cup was introduced, social teams were allowed in the preliminary round draws and Chronicle was an active participant.
We were given favourable referees and one time we were drawn with a Joshua Mizha, Madinda Ndlovu, Sebastian Nobert, Lyodd Munhanga and Peter Nyamande inspired Invaders.
In our first encounter we were beaten 5-2 and Horsepower because of his love for the media guys, encouraged us to appeal against the result after Invaders used an illegal player Sikhumbuzo Ndebele who had a contract with AmaZulu.
So the next Monday Horsepower were at Sagit House early in the morning to meet Delma Lupepe and we managed to convince him to confirm to Zifa that Ndebele was contracted.
A replay was ordered for Sotshangane and in the reverse we were left harmed after being overrun 9-0. I took the brunt for the embarrassment for having organized a replay and for close to two months we had no appetite for social soccer as Chronicle FC.
In the same year 2001, I was part of the organisers of a sports symposium which brought marketing executives, referees, clubs, administrators, fans and media together.
I carefully chose New Winderemere Hotel then under Omega Sibanda. The reason was because I was running away from disruptive gatecrashers and izikwamula. Horsepower was among the people I did not want there because of his social standing. We were then tight friends, a guy he would demand money for a Super (Chibuku) from. As we went out for the tea break, there was Horsepower with a board smile with a Shangaan bag and two soccer balls.
“Dube, you can’t leave me out where there is football. Ngizwile ukuthi nguwe who is organising and that is the reason why I have come here. Get these two balls and put them at the top table, there can’t be a soccer event without Horsepower and footballs, vele akwenziwa,” Horsepower was now in the house.
When I told him that it was a special event and there would be no room for amasese, he was quick to say, clear beer was his stuff from far back.
So he was allowed to be part of the proceedings.
The brand Horsepower continued to grow and as a daredevil Horsepower took some clubs from the Chris Mhlanga founded Bulawayo Social Soccer League and established the Bulawayo Companies Social League.
He would go to companies and convince management to sponsor teams in his league.
At one stage he had about 78 clubs in one league and was able to fixture them around Bulawayo City Council’s many football pitches, schools and colleges. One day I asked him where the affiliation fees were going to. And whether he was remitting anything to Zifa the custodians of the local game?
“It’s my league, it’s my money. Have you ever heard ukuthi uHorse wants something from the PSL or Zifa. It’s their business and the league is my baby, I do as I please,” was Horsepower’s response.
Seventy-eight teams meant that he had 339 matches to fixture with referees earning US$10 per match of which five was his cut.
With over US$100 a week from his boys, some of whom made it into the Premiership, Horse was able to take care of his family. He loved his family, his dogs, social football and Chibuku. Horse never liked to be left out and whenever Ernest Sibanda the Bosso manager, later to be chairman, did not invite him or buy as much as Horse wanted, there would be a fight simmering. “I took Ernest to Harare for the first time. I was working and earning $14 and Ernest $8.
He is not Maphepha but Simon Banda was Maphepha, very skilful and talented at Contex. When I took Mahne (Ernest) I paid for one and every time the conductors came to check tickets, I would ask Ernest to sit on the door step of the train and I stand on the door so that they would not see him. He can’t do that to me, ngubhururu wami lowana,” Horse would tell crowds that dared to listen to him. I maintained my relationship with him until his death.
On Sunday evening last week, his eldest son Maradona called me from Johannesburg to tell me he had been instructed by Horsepower to advise me that his health was deteriorating. I asked Maradona if he was comfortable with a story and he gave me the nod to write an SOS story because as a family they had over the past three months eroded whatever they had trying to get him better medical care here in Zimbabwe and Johannesburg.
Dutifully I diarised it and that of Wankie and Highlanders legend Chutika Tembo.
But before we could print it the following day at 1803 hours Maradona delivered the sad news of the passing of my friend and township hero, a community builder and Football Person of unquestionable proportions at 17.50 hours.
I felt a thud in my heart, I liked Horse and he reciprocated the favour, his face told everything when he was in my company at Heroes Gardens or Chronicle Building.
What saddened many was that this year he was keen to stage a tournament and had been speaking to Mzansi Express for sponsorship.
He believed people were idle during the off-season and his tournament was all about uniting city residents and allowing budding stars to showcase their talents.
At functions, Horse did not hesitate to take two or three plates of clean food to thrown into his bag for his dogs. He was a dog breeder and made a living out of it. He used to boast that only him and Shopo Chirau were allowed to get bits for drinking from me (ukumanka).
A simple man, good in the heart, all out to eke a living for his family and use the ball to bring smiles to many, is gone.