uMthunywa
Nkosilathi Sibanda
“Iqembu alisoke litshabalale, loba kungaze kuthiwe liyedlala koGreenspan.”
Lokhu kukhulunywe nguMongameli weHighlanders uNdumiso Gumede ebika ukuba iqembu lenguqu kuligi yePSL iHighlanders, alisoke liyendawo nanko selifikise iminyaka engu-95 lokhe lasungulwa.
IHighlanders iphakathi kokuthakazelela ukufikisa iminyaka le ngesikhathi inguqu imiswe ukudlalwa kuleli ngenxa yeCovid-19.
UGumede uthe ukufika lelibanga kuveza ukuthi iqembu labo lisasekhona.
“Ikusasa leqembu ligcwele ukukhanya ngendlela esibona ngayo, ikakhulu nxa sikhangele lendlela esihanjwe kusukela iqembu lisungulwa,” kutsho uGumede.
“Leyi yithimu engasoke yadilika loba sekutheni. Kungangcono iyedlala koGreenspan nxa sekuthwe ixotshiwe kuligi ephakemeyo.”
Umongameli weBosso lo uthe aluba bekungela gcikwane leCovid-19, bekuzagidwa, kuculwe ingoma zomdabu, kudlalwe ibhola ilanga lonke.
IHighlanders yasungulwa ngomnyaka ka1926 nguRhodes loAlbert, abazukulu beNkosi uLobengula. Abazukulu beNkosi laba babefunda beseSouth Africa lapho ababopha inyathelo lokubumba iqembu lenguqu elalizalibazisa isizwe sikaMthwakazi.
Mhla leliqembu lifikisa iminyaka engu-90, iHighlanders yabuthanisa inengi labalandeli bayo kujatshulelwa ukufikisa lelibanga kunguqu.
Ngalowo mnyaka iHighlanders yajabulela iminyaka engu-90 yokusungulwa kwayo ngokuqoqa uhambo lokuvakatshela emangcwabeni kaRhodes loAlbert aseGrahamstown eSouth Africa.
Uhambo lolu lwaba yisibonakaliso sokuthi inkokheli zeqembu azikhohlwanga lapho iqembu elavela khona.
“Abasekeli kumele bakwazi ukuthi le yithimu eyaqaliswa ngabazukulu beNkosi uLobengula ngo1926. Bayibiza ngokuthi yiLions FC. Ngaleso sikhathi, abazukulu beNkosi babethe ithimu le ngeyokulibazisa abantu nje hatshi ukuthi idlale okokuncintisa. Yaguqula ibizo ithimu kwathiwa yiMatabeleland Highlanders FC kodwa ngenxa yokukhuthazwa ngumuyi uMdala Wethu uJoshua Nkomo, iqembu latshintsha njalo ibizo kwaba yiHighlanders.
“UNkomo wayefuna ukuthi iHighlanders ibambanise abantu njengalokho okwakuhlelwe ngabazukulu beNkosi uLobengula. IHighlanders yasuka lapho yenza izimanga ngokunqoba kuligi ephansi eyeBulawayo Amateur Football League.
Yanqoba yaze yafinyelela kuZifa Super League. Okwenzakalayo kusukela lapho kwabayikukhula kweHighlanders isiba yintshantshu kuyo yonke imncintiswano kanobhutshuzwayo. Imbali le inde njalo abasekeli abazabuya eBarbourfields bazakwazi konke mayelana lethimu endala, ithimu yeNkosi,” kutsho uGumede.
