COSMAS ‘TSANO’ ZULU LOOKS BACK AT 55-YEAR CAREER
ONE winter afternoon in 1967, Cosmas Zulu was thrown in at Combined Midlands FC at Barbourfields Stadium Pitch 1 to begin his 55-year journey as a serious football practitioner.
It was on a Tuesday. Combined Midlands plied their trade in the Bulawayo Amateur (African) Football Association. By the end of the week, Zulu earned the nickname Tsano as he knew none of his teammates’ first names nor could he understand iSiNdebele.
In an interview with Sunday Leisure last Thursday, Zulu said he had been barely a week when his sister Ester Nyambiya visited his family in Mount Darwin. Nyambiya had found Zulu, who had just moved from Kings Mine near Gaths Mine, very skinny. Zulu, who had finished his Standard Six education the previous year, had failed to adjust to rural life.
“I could not adjust to eating relish without tomato and onion. I was very thin and my sister decided to take me along to join her family. Her husband was a driver at Rhodesia Omnibus Company and we stayed at Siphambaniso Flats in Makokoba. My sister knew I could play football, so she took me to Barbourfields Stadium to a team whose chairman, Baba Rose, was our Siphambaniso Flats neighbour.
“My late sister asked if I could be given a chance to play and the coaches agreed. At 4:15 that Tuesday in winter of 1967 I began a journey which is 55 years old now. I could not communicate in any other language so when I wanted the ball I would shout “Tsano” and in turn my teammates called me that and it has stuck to me,” says the man who claims to dream in colour.
At the end of the year Zulu, like most great players of that era found himself in the Bafa Select among football legends like Robert Donga to participate in the Osborne Cup with clubs like Yellow Peril (Salisbury) and Green Bombers from Mutare.
Zulu was scoring for fun as a teenager for Combined Midlands and in 1969 his destination was Eastern Midlands, another amateur side that had two youngsters who would rise to legendary status in Douglas Maneto who went on to play for Zimbabwe Saints, Dynamos and Moroka Swallows before winding up his career in Botswana in the 1980s and Francis Sikhosana who played for Black Chiefs in the famed South Zone Soccer League.
“Esrom Nyandoro’s father and one Makombe were among the officials of the club,” said Zulu.
Before the end of the year Zulu made a move to Bushbucks in Division Three, a club that was owned by Dr Herbert Ushewokunze. There he met players like Charles Wadawu, Lovemore Machingauta and Marko Ncube whom he described as a gem.
Bushbucks were more like a sister club to Mashonaland United who changed to Zimbabwe Saints in 1975 at the insistence of the late Vice President Dr Joshua Nkomo who felt having tribal inclined names for Highlanders who were called Matabeleland Highlanders and Mashonaland United, later called Zimbabwe Saints, was formenting ill-feeling among Blacks who should have been combining forces to fight for the country’s liberation.
Tsano, a pacy and a cheeky striker, continued to score more goals and attract attention. In 1970, he made his biggest stride in the game, moving to Eastlands, bought for a whopping 600 pounds by Chikerema a city businessman who owned Zebra Taxis. Chikerema was in charge of the club with the likes of Job Kadengu, later a successful Dynamos chairman.
“I did not even get a single cent from the big transfer fee. Those days players were commodities even signing on fee I did not get but I was happy to have moved to a big club. Then in Bulawayo we had Mashonaland United and Eastlands playing in the elite league while Highlanders were in the Second Division,” said the former fiery striker who was nicknamed Thunderboots after goal scoring sensation Peter Nyama who shone for Tornados, Chibuku
Shumba and Malawi.
Eastlands boasted of good players like Richard Kasawaya who played at right back, midfield wizards Tymon Mabaleka and Dr Melusi Sibanda, Daniel ‘Dididi` Ncube, Denis Musarurwa whom he described as brilliant as Ronald Sibanda in creativity, William Phiri and William “Gorilla” Chirwa.
Zulu said he enjoyed playing in both national and regional league for Eastlands. The much exposed and travelled gaffer then joined new kids on the block, Olympics, who were formed at the beginning of 1977 when some disgruntled players, with the influence of outsiders, quit Highlanders FC.
They even used similar colours to Bosso and had Barry Daka, Itai Chieza, Stanley Nyika, Ananias Dube, Zenzo Ndlovu, Ephraim Moloi, Sebastian Sibanda and Isaac Mafaro all former Highlanders stars.
“My best season I would say was 1978. I was hot that season and my best match was when I scored a hat trick, firing all three goals past Posani Sibanda at the club’s fortress Hwange Stadium. Sibanda was the best goalkeeper in the country and that was a big feat by any measure,” said Zulu.
In 1979 Zulu moved to the region’s best club Zimbabwe Saints who had won the 1977 Castle Cup and league title. At Chikwata he found himself playing alongside legends Emmanuel Sibanda, Francis Ngara, Gibson Homela, Douglas Maneto, William Sibanda, Max Tshuma, Onias Musana, Philemon Dangarembwa and Kadengu.
“It was a big break for me, that Saints team had many good players and we went on a run of 22 games without losing a game,” said Zulu.
Chikwata won the regional league and were runners up in both the Chibuku Trophy and national play off to then rising Caps Rovers later to switch to Caps United. Zulu had a brief stint with Black Chiefs in early 1980 but was lured by Highlanders FC.
“At Chiefs my stay was too short. I do not remember which games I played in as I found myself at Bosso. It was, however, great to play alongside Alfred Ngedla Phiri, a brilliant player,” said Zulu.
At Highlanders Zulu found himself playing with Tymon Mabaleka, Josiah Nxumalo, Ernest Sibanda, Fanuel Ncube, Peter Nkomo, Douglas Mloyi, Phineas Mabaleka, Titus Majola, Augustine Lunga, Mark Watson, Henry Jones and Lawrence Phiri, among others.
He said he enjoyed playing alongside Watson whom he described as a very effective striker in the box. Zulu describes his ban from football as one of the worst moments of his life. Prior to the 1982 Independence Cup final Zulu had never been red carded.
His second red card in his 55 years came in the 2019 Chibuku Super Cup final against Highlanders FC when he was with Ngezi Platinum.
“Tsano, Dynamos scored a legitimate goal, they then scored a second a clear offside. I remember the day Frank Valdermarca was the referee. My colleagues refused to restart the game and were grouped on one side of the pitch adamant that they would not continue with play unless the referee changed his decision. Both President Canaan Banana and Prime Minister Robert Mugabe were present at the final, so there I was by myself at the centre with the ball with Frank insisting I must start play, but my colleagues oTymon were not there,” said Zulu.
Zulu was banned sine die and stayed out of the game for months. The decision was rescinded as Ndumiso Gumede, then Bosso chairman, and his executive appealed against the decision. In early 1983 Bobby Clark arrived at Highlanders and he threw Zulu a challenge.
“When we were in camp at the Holiday Inn, we would go to the fountain at the park in the morning. While there Clark pulled me aside and said he wanted me to understudy him. Then coach Lawrence Phiri had left in a huff and I was stunned, angry that Clark was saying I’m finished at 30. In retrospect I am grateful, he must have seen my potential to grow as a coach. We promoted about nine players from the juniors and towards the end of the season we were hammering teams left right and centre,” said Zulu.
Bosso went from relegation contenders to a team that went 11 games unbeaten. After the 1983 season Clark returned to Scotland and Zulu was given the job of head coach but he turned it down and instead recommended his friend Barry Daka.
It was a tight call, Bosso supporters were still very angry that Daka had nearly destroyed Bosso by moving to form Olympics at the beginning of 1977. The executive eventually gave in as Daka had done well already as a coach having started off in 1973 in Hwange and later Olympics whom he led to the 1982 Rothmans Shield final.
Their first of many cup triumphs was the 1984 Chibuku Trophy in which Bosso beat Dynamos 2-1 courtesy of goals by the legendary club and Zimbabwe winger Madinda Ndlovu and Willard Khumalo. That was the beginning of many trophies to come for Zulu, who has 53 medals from his 55 years in the game. In 1986 Daka and Zulu swept all silverware contested for except the league title.
Two years later only the Chibuku Trophy and league title eluded Highlanders as they were won by Zimbabwe Saints as Bulawayo made a clean sweep of silverware in Zimbabwe. Roy Barreto arrived in 1989 as Bosso sought to strengthen their technical team.
“We worked well with Barreto like we used to do when Barry arrived, we met for about three hours every Monday to review previous week and the match and also plan ahead, we won the league and Zifa Cup that year and followed with the Castle Cup in 1991,” said Zulu.
Another good season was 1993 when Bosso won the first ever Premier Soccer League title. Zulu would still be around in 1994 to bag the BP League Cup before moving to AmaZulu whom he helped to the Zifa Southern Region title in 1996 and Premiership football in 1997.
He was with AmaZulu when the club won the Independence Cup in 1999 and returned in 2003 to revive championship hopes for the flamboyant club’s first league title. Zulu also coached the Zimbabwe Under 17s.
He remains grateful to Gumede and Highlanders FC for facilitating his coach training locally and for taking him to Coventry (UK) in 1992. In 2014 Zulu returned to Highlanders and was part of the technical team that won the EasyCall Cup. Zulu is now with Ngezi Platinum and still hungry to produce the next greats.