Yesteryear greats

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ROBSON “Sarafina” Muchichwa rates among the most successful Zimbabwean soccer players in South Africa with a number of club and individuals on his neck.

Born in Bulawayo’s Pelandaba Township on 2 November 1975, he scaled heights that many of the present day Bulawayo boys can only dream of. A former South African Footballer of the Year, Players Player of the Year, CocaCola Cup and Rothmans Shield winner, he is no doubt up there in the league of Alexander Maseko, Cleopas Dlodlo, Ebson Sugar Muguyo, Ephraim Chawanda, Henry Mckop and Esrom Nyandoro whose careers across the Limpopo were serenaded with silverware.

Muchichwa speaks of his days in the township and playing plastic balls in the streets between family chores as he was born in an Apostolic family. He goes on to mention how influential Gabriel Mlilo his teacher at Induba Primary School was in his career. Mlilo is credited with mentoring many boys that starred for Bulawayo Wanderers and Eagles when he relocated from Hwange in 1975.

“That man was my school teacher and football teacher, he laid the foundation for the footballer that I got to be. He had a great influence in my career,” said Zimara as many Bulawayo Wanderers/Eagles fans called him.

With White City Stadium, the home of Eagles a few streets away, it was perhaps only logical for any budding star to try his luck there.

There was so much inspiration in that earlier generations had Majuta Mpofu, Mapleni Nyathi, Bekithemba Ngwenya and Dr Melusi Sibanda among the stars. In between Muchichwa and the Majuta generation were Rahman Gumbo, Boy Ndlovu, Tanny Banda, Felix Ntuthu, Stanford Ntini and Francis Paketh — a talented