. . . UMafu ‘ubavalela phandle’

UMQEQETSHI weHighlanders uBongani Mafu kuliviki ubambise abadlali abanengi  abaziwa belobungcitshi kumdlalo wenguqu ilitshe.
Kubikwa umbiko ovele kumqeqetshi lo ubusithi nxa ungumdlali osekhulile, khohlwa ngokudlalela iBosso loba ulethalenta elimangalisayo.

Isenzo somqeqetshi omutsha lo sidanise abadlali abakade bekhangelele ukutshibilikela iTshilamoya.

Kuliviki iphephandaba likazulu likhulume labanye abadlali abaveze ukuthi badidekile  ngesithembiso sikaMafu.

UMafu wetheswa icala lokuthembisa abadlali umsebenzi esazi ukuthi uzaguqula ingqondo zakhe.
IHighlanders izakwethula ithimu yayo ka2015 kubalandeli ngoMgqibelo eClub House.

Kubikwa kulequla labadlali obekukhangelelwe  ukuthi lingene kuHighlanders kodwa uMafu wakubona kungcono ukuthi kudlale abafana abancane ngenhloso yokuphumelelisa iqembu lakhe kuPremeir Soccer League (PSL).

UMthunywa uzwe ukuba ngaphandle kokuxotshwa kukaNjabulo Ncube labanye okubikwa bayizigilamkhuba, uMafu utshiye inyembezi kwabanengi.

“Mina ngigijime kuBosso okwenyanga ezimbili ngibizwe nguMafu. Angazi ukuthi kusuke kwathini ngoba ngangithenjiswe ukuthi ngizakhethwa kuqembu,” kutsho umdlali owesabe ukuqanjwa ngebizo.

Omunye wabadlali laba uthe uMafu utshintshe ingqondo ngokuphazima kweso.
“Okunje kuyadanisa bakithi. Aluba satshelwa kudala ukuthi ngeke sikhethwe, ngabe sazama kwamanye amaqembu. Akhona amaqembu ayengifuna kodwa ngala ngoba ngikhangelele kuHighlanders.”

Ekupheleni komnyaka odluleyo, umaqhuzu weBosso uNdumiso Gumede wabika ukuthi ithimu yezwe lonke ivele ilabafana abancane ebagcinileyo, abaligiqa okuzwayo ngakho iqembu lakhe lizakuya khatshana ngabo.

Ebuzwa ngalokhu, uMafu uthe ulethemba lokuthi ithimu alayo yiyo eqinileyo.
“Ithimu ekhona yiyo ezadlala. Abasekeli abakhululeke. Sidinga isikhathi nje lesineke ukuze silolonge abadlali abancane ukuze labo bacine sebedlala kuqembu elikhulu ngoba ikusasa leqembu lethu liphethwe yibo,” kutsho uMafu ngoLwesibili evela lolonga ithimu edolobheni leFolosi.

UMafu unikezwe konke angakufuna ukuthi azikhethele ithimu ayifunayo. Inkokheli zethimu zabika ngokugcweleyo ukuthi uMafu lomsekeli wakhe uMandla “Lulu” Mpofu bazasebenza bekhululekile.

Umlandu usalele kuqula labaqeqetshi laba ukuthi basukumise abasekeli beHighlanders bona abacina ukuthola intokozo mhla iqembu lithwala inkezo yePSL ngo2006.

IBosso itshaye iqembu leBlack Rhinos nge 3-1 emagumeni, eBarbourfields  osekwenze iqembu leli lahle layahlala phezulu kwengalani yePSL ngemiklomelo engu-24.

UJoel Ngodzo nguye obeyibambe esidukwini njalo ubedlala ngemva kwabagadli beqembu leli, uGabriel Nyoni kanye lo Charles Sibanda.

Ukungabikhona kwabadlali beBosso abathi uKudakwashe Mahachi, Milton Ncube kanye loPeter “Rio” Moyo, asebatshaya unyawo baya kweleSouth Africa, bekungakhanyi ngitsho lakancane.