Obituary – Tribute to Willard Khumalo

By Guthrie Munyuki

Growing up in Harare’s Glen Norah high density suburb was fun to boys of my age given the zing zing that football brought to the township.

Glen Norah was home to some of the finest footballers that this country has ever produced.

Among this finest crop were George Shaya, Daniel “Dhidhidhi” Ncube, David George, Shacky Tauro (late) Wonder Chisetera and Friday Phiri, true gentlemen of the game who went on to inspire fledgling talent in the hood to purse football as a career.

Of course Glen Norah also had good players residing in the suburb such as Charles Sibanda, Oliver Chidemo and Jawet Nechironga whose two sons — George and Francis — went on to play Premiership football for CAPS United, Arcadia United and Rio Dairibord.

But it was Shacky Tauro who touched my early football loving-life with goal-scoring exploits which were instrumental in following CAPS United as a primary school boy.

Tauro inspired a golden generation in the history of the club’s juniors and most of them had the opportunity to play with him in the CAPS United team, later in his twilight years.

The late Makepekepe striker lived six houses away from parents’ and both were employed by CAPS Private Limited.

That proximity gave me an opportunity of meeting some of Zimbabwe’s finest footballers of that time — the 80s — such as Ephraim Chawanda, Joseph Machingura (late), Moses Chunga, Gift Mpariwa, Joel Shambo, Stanford Mutizwa, Brenna Msiska, Stanley Ndunduma (late) and Edward Katsvere (late).

Among the crop of these players was Willard Khumalo, a stocky but talented midfielder whose life ended at the weekend when he succumbed to diabetes.

Mawi-i or Nduna (the chief) was gifted to the extent that when we were playing plastic football (hweshe) in Glen Norah, fights often broke out amongst ourselves on who deserved to be called Mawi-i, in reference to Khumalo.

It’s a pity that the affable former Highlanders midfielder died without having really replicated his on-field form on the club’s bench.

He was not as gifted as a coach as he was when playing but his cracking jokes and strong personality lifted the Highlanders dressing room, those who once played with him, would always say it publicly.

The few times that I interacted with him when he visited Tauro at his Glen Norah home, he would always say to me: “Mfana, ask Joel Shambo kuti Shumba yake ndiani? I control the midfield and you are supporting a wrong team, CAPS United, switch over to Bosso.”

Indeed he dominated Shambo in the Independence Trophy final in which he inspired Highlanders to a 2-1 victory over CAPS United, having been a goal down at half-time, trailing to a Tauro goal which came via a scissors kick.

The whole Vietnam Stand at Rufaro stood to salute Mawi-i at the end of the match and even CAPS Untied supporters, gave him a standing ovation, grudgingly, though.

Khumalo marshalled the Warriors midfield like a general during the Dream Team and his performance in the 4-1 massacre of South Africa in 1992 at the National Sports Stadium was a reminder of his talents.

He reduced former Kaizer Chiefs darling — Doctor “16 Valve” Khumalo to a passenger as he won the battle of showboating.

Summing up his performance at the end of the game Mawi-i famously threw a jibe at Doctor Khumalo saying he was “not a doctor but a nurse”.

In 1993 he propelled Highlanders to a hard fought 1-0 league win over CAPS United at Gwanzura Stadium when he scored a 40-metre belter which gave Brenna Msiska no chance at the Machipisa end.

There was no missing that orange ball which nestled into the nets in that crazy first half.

The goal, scored from the left wing, in      the first half of a cagey match would see Bosso winning the title at the end of the season.

These were some of my best moments in watching football, seeing a man with a huge frame, playing like a pencil-slim athlete while combining his weight with good balance and movement in the middle of the park.

He might have left Highlanders, as a player, ingloriously after clashing with former coach Roy Bareto, but no one could erase Mawi-i from their memories.

The former Bosso player and later coach, was a prodigious talent.

Even his stints  in South Africa and later back here, at Lancashire Steel and Shoeshine, did not do any harm in showing a gifted player whose talents were beginning to be affected by the hands of the clock.

He might have failed to command the Bosso bench in the same way he used to in their midfield, but very few will doubt that he was a Matabele warrior who gave everything for the black and white Highlanders jersey.

They say you are lonely when you are dead, but Mawi-i certainly is not lonely — he has thousands of football lovers singing his praises.

At 49 years, he is a life that’s gone too soon but he remains one of the players of my time, thanks to the late Shacky Tauro! Daily News