mbulelo smpofu
Lovemore Dube, lovemore.dube@chronicle.co.zw
FORMER Highlanders players gathered at Lady Stanley Cemetery in Bulawayo on Saturday to pay tribute to their fallen colleagues who were laid to rest there.
As was customary, the players visited the graves of their former teammates, tidied them up and held prayer sessions in their honour.
Lady Stanley Cemetery and West Park Cemetery are the final resting place of over a dozen former Highlanders players, as well as some of the city’s most esteemed residents.
This year’s commemoration was made special with the generous donation of two tombstones from Straight Suppliers and Distributors.
The tombstones will be erected on the graves of Majuta Mpofu and Dumisani Ngulube.
Temba Sibanda, whose company makes granite products, has pledged to donate two tombstones every year to the Former Highlanders Players Association.
The Association is led by the revered Douglas Mloyi, with Netsai Moyo serving as his deputy.
“It is a touching exercise by Highlanders legends for their former teammates and families. What we want is a decent resting place for our departed. When the former players organise this, it is to perpetuate the legacies of those gone before.
“They were our heroes, we still remember the likes of Majuta Mpofu, Willard Khumalo and Mercedes Sibanda. We are doing this as part of our company’s corporate social responsibility hoping that some other companies can come on board and support our dear departed brothers.
“As Straight Suppliers, we wait for the association to give us names and we then do artwork on the tombstone heads. This partnership is going to help us too as the association is advertising our company somehow,” said Sibanda.
In an interview at the Highlanders Clubhouse, Moyo said the event has become annual.
“Every year, we get together and celebrate our former teammates. We celebrate them by going to their places of rest, and at times there is some overgrown grass so we clean up the graves and then gather at the clubhouse for a fun day,” said Moyo.
“We secured a sponsor who assured us that he will donate two tombstones every year for our late colleagues. This year we have Majuta Mpofu and Dumisani Ngulube.”
Smart Moyo, Sydney Zimunya, Peter Nkomo, Amin Soma-Phiri, Themba Ncube, Itai Masawi, Johannes Tshuma, Madinda Ndlovu, Ali Dube, Gift Lunga (Snr), Siza Khoza, Danny Ngwenya, Colsen Mabeza and Noel Cele are among some ex-Bosso players who attended the gathering.
