Football commentators from Zimbabwe – A tribute

By Lot Chitakasha

According to Chris Bond in his paper, The Art of Sports Commentary on the Airwaves, at its best, football commentary can add colour and grandeur to moments of sporting greatness. He cites Byron Butler ‘s running commentary of Diego Maradona ‘s wonder goal in the 1986 World Cup final.

The commentator captured it thus, “Maradona turns like a little eel, he comes away from trouble, here he comes, little squat man, he comes inside Butcher leaves him for dead, outside Fenwick, leaves for dead, face to face with Peter Shilton..tucks the ball away…that is why Maradona is the greatest player in the world…!”

What the commentator achieved in this short space of time was to permanently imprint this goal in the collective memories of all those who listened.

One can say the commentary was as good as the goal.

In Zimbabwe, we have had our fair share of good football commentators and in this article I pay tribute to them. A word of caution, it is not possible to discuss everyone in detail, I will focus on a few outstanding ones but also give honorary mention to the rest.

Football commentary is an art which needs to be mastered. It is also entertainment and listeners and viewers can fall in love with a particular commentator. A good commentator can therefore enhance the quality of a match. There are tricks to the trade and like in any other profession a set of rules have to be followed.

According to John Motson, the legendary British commentator who has worked for the BBC since 1971 presiding over 1 500 matches, a good commentator relies on an encyclopaedic knowledge of the game and knowing when to deploy that knowledge.

A good grasp of statistics is also very important in addition to a behind the scene knowledge of players, teams and managers. He also emphasises that voice projection is also very important. A good commentator should in this legend’s own words “not offend the ear..”

Fundis on this subject also argue that the golden rules on bias, clarity of speech and decency must be followed. The expression of racist, sexist and homophobic sentiments should be avoided at any cost. Those who have failed to subscribe to these rules have found themselves out of a job.

Swearing is also out of order though it sometimes happens and apologies are made. One other trick is to keep the commentary simple and to remember that the most important thing is the match itself. The commentator should not be the main show although I have to admit that commentators can add entertainment to the match.

Just to put this discussion into context, let me visit our neighbours Zambia. The country gave us Dennis Liwewe who is regarded by many as the Godfather of football commentary in Africa. Liwewe had a deep knowledge of African football in general and Zambian football in particular.

Like all great commentators, he prepared well for matches and he had a deep knowledge of players and the teams. He had his own catch phrases and a grasp of the poetic. I remember him saying ..” Goals are raining now like mangoes in summer…”

He also had a wicked sense of humour and in one match he deployed it when he said…”Even a pilot in a helicopter could see that Shacky Tauro was off side…” This was after the referee had ignored what he deemed to be a blatant offside decision. Indeed Dennis Liwewe was the voice of Zambian football for over three decades, an authority.

Zimbabwe has had great commentators. Charles “CNN” Mabika is regarded by many as the voice of football in the nation. If there is a football argument , it is often resolved when reference is made to

what Mabika said . To say Charles said, is to put the argument to bed .For any follower of Zimbabwe football, Charles Mabika is the go to man for any historical fact of the game that might arise. He is also credited with many nicknames that are given to players or at least popularising them. Some even credit him with coining the moniker Dembare, a term that is used to refer to Zimbabwe’s biggest club, Dynamos.

Earlier, I highlighted the attributes that are expected of a good commentator. Yes , the man has an encyclopaedic knowledge of football, a good understanding of history and a good grasp of statistics. His voice does not offend the ear. But does he pass the litmus test on bias?

This I think can be contested.ManyintheZimbabwefootballfraternitysuspecthimofbeingacloset Dynamos supporter. Charles however disputes this stating categorically that his allegiance lies with Middlesborough, a club which hails from the North East of England. I leave the reader to make their own judgement. What I know however is that he has his own favourite players and he can easily get carried away when eulogising them.

One incident that validates this claim happened in 2004. Augustine “Jay Jay “ Okocha, played a blinder for Nigeria against Zimbabwe and Charles Mabika went overboard in his praise of that midfield genius. “This is Okocha, what a player…Okocha, how does he do it…Oh Okocha…” and on and on.

One would have thought that Okocha was doing Zimbabwe any favours, but no, the nation was being taught a football lesson as Nigeria won 3-0. To have your chief commentator literally worshipping at the feet of the tormentor in chief did not go down well with many.

Some fans claim that he was disciplined by his employers for this. I could not verify this without talking to the man himself. Suffice to say on this occasion the legend failed to draw the line between football commentary and hero worshipping, a small blemish on his illustrious long career. Over and above, he is indeed a very good commentator , one of the best from Zimbabwe.

One other commentator who took the country by storm was the late Evans Mambara. Mambara redefined radio football commentary, “Kuteerera bhora paradio” , listening to football on radio became a Sunday ritual. Evans combined well with Mabika but as an individual, he was an outstanding performer. He modelled his commentary on Dennis Liwewe’s style.

His best moments were with the Zimbabwe National Team and with Black Rhinos Football Club. Due to his military background, he resorted to military metaphors which he deployed with generous abandon. He turned the football arena into a battle ground.

Isaac Chakanetsa, a friend had this memory about Evans..” This is Maronga Nyangela, they call him the Bomber at the barracks ,the soldiers are in control here, bombarding the Dembare goal area, bomb for bomb, grenade for grenade…”

Yes Evans assaulted the ears, literally bombarded us with his military jargon. Those who grew up under his dosage of commentary will remember , “To Stanford Stix Mtizwa, let’s go Stixe, to Stanley Ndunduma, Sinyo, to Hamid Dhana, Muzukuru, to Simon Ak Mugabe..no relationship to the President…the soldiers are on fire…” He loved nicknames but he failed on the test of bias. Evans was more of a cheerleader for Black Rhinos and even for the National Team. However, he gave us some exciting moments.

In the vernacular language, Shona had Mukoma Choga Tichatonga Gavhure while Ndebele had Inglam Nyathi, Kingsley Sibanda and later Eric Knight and Ezra Sibanda. These made commentary such a joy on radio.

Let me talk about Mukoma Choga Gavhure. The man had a close realationship with the fans, players and the listeners. He shared inside information which made the listeners understand the match better. However what made Mukoma Choga an outstanding performer was his mastery of the Shona language. People listened to him not just for the football but also to enjoy the language.

Here are a few signature statements. “ Vanhu mavhu nemarara, vakomana ve Glamours Boys vakatungamira. Vanodzora here vakomana veHighlanders? Mirai tione kuti zvinofamba wani wani. Zvinhu zvakaita manyama amire nerongo, matingumutinya nguwo dzeuswa…”

Literally translated, “There is a huge crowd and Dynamos are leading, the situation does not look good for Highlanders, will they come back.. let us wait and see…” He always referred to Wankie FC as “Vakomana VeChipangano..”, meaning ” Boys who plan together,” he popularised this moniker.

Offside as hupfu musauti, kumhanyira kuseva vamwe vasati vaseva, bhora rasvika kwamvura yacheka makumbo meaning the match has ended, Ndarova nzira..i am going. This was classic Mukoma Choga, he made Shona football commentary such as joy.

Inglam Munyati and Kingsley Sibanda provided the Ndebele commentary. Through them I was able to learn one or two Ndebele words . The commentary was enthralling and how I regret that I did not learn more of the language, I would have enjoyed it more.

Honourable mention should go to Farayi Mungazi, Steve Vickers, Muzi Habede, Spencer Banda,Eric Knight and Ezra “Thisa” Sibanda among others. They made radio and television commentary such a pleasure.

Indeed as posited earlier in my other articles, Zimbabwe football history is a rich terrain with so many topics for exploration. This task will not be complete without capturing those who brought us the game first on radio and recently on television. Their contribution cannot be undervalued, this article makes a small contribution.