uMthunywa
Nkosilathi Sibanda
ABAZI ukuthi babambe ngaphi kumbe baqonde kubani kunguqu kulandela ukufa kukaErnest “Maphepha” Sibanda.
USibanda ufele esibhedlela seMater Dei koBulawayo. Ubeleminyaka engu-64. Uzabekwa ngoMgqibelo eLady Stanley.
Inengi lalimazi enguye umaneja waphinda waba ngumgcinisihlalo weqembu leHighlanders elenza izimanga ngokuba yintshantshu yePremier Soccer League 1998/1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 lango-2006. IHighlanders yacina ukubamba inkezo le ikhokhelwa nguMaphepha.
Iphephandaba likazulu likhethe ukukhuluma labadlali lenkokheli ezazikhona ngaleso isikhathi. Akuzange kube lula ukuxhumana labo, abanye bakhethe ukungatsho lutho bebika ukuba basebuhlungwini. Abanye sebaya phetsheya kwelizwe.
Kodwa, uDazzy Kapenya, owaba ngukaputeni kumasizini la iHighlanders itshisa ngaphansi kukaMaphepha uthe ukufa kwakhe kumtshayise ngovalo.
“Ingqondo ibuyela emuva ngaleyo minyaka sisadlala. Ngithe ngisizwa ngokufa kukaMdala uMaphepha ngizizwe ngitshona inhliziyo. Kubuhlungu. Angeke lifane ibhola lakuleli futhi. IHighlanders yaphumelela ngenxa kaMdala.
“Wasikhulisa singabafana, wasenza saba lokuzimisela emdlalweni. Kubo bonke abadlali abadlula ezandleni zakhe bayavuma ukuthi uMaphepha wayengumkhokheli sibili,” kutsho uKapenya osengumqeqetshi wenguqu.
Abalandeli beBosso baveze ukudana.
Omunye wabalandeli uThabani Ncube uthe njengabalandeli beqembu badabukile kakhulu ngokwehlele imuli yakoSibanda.
“Okwehlele imuli yakoSibanda kubuhlungu sibili njalo singabalandeli beBosso lathi sikhala ndawonye lemuli.
Silahlekelwe ngumuntu owaphakamisa iBosso wayenza yaba labalandeli abanengi. Sizamkhumbula uMaphepha,” kutsho uNcube.
Omunye njalo umlandeli okhulume lentatheli uSmiso Dube uthe ukufa kukaMaphepha kwenze bakubona ukuthi kuhle ukuthakazelela umuntu esaphila.
“Abamzondayo uMaphepha abamazi ukuthi wenzani kuBosso. Ubukhokheli bakhe buyabatshazwa lakhathesi. Sithi saba zintshantshu zomdlalo ngenxa yakhe. Abantu abafunde ukubonga umuntu esaphila.”
Ngesikhathi esifa, uMaphepha ubelilunga lebhodi yeqembu leBulawayo City. Ihofisi yokuphuma kwembiko kuleliqembu ichaze umuyi njengenkokheli eyaba yinsika kumpilo zabadlali abanengi.
“Ubeyindoda emadodeni hatshi kwezenguqu kuphela. Ubeyinsika yokuphumelela kwabadlali njalo ubengumzekeliso omuhle kubadlali labalandeli.”
Kumbiko wayo, iHighlanders ithe: “Sikhala ngowake wabangumdlali, umaneja lomgcinisihlalo wethu owanqoba izicoco ezinengi,” kutsho iHighlanders.
Inhlanganiso yePremier Soccer League (PSL) layo ithumele umbiko.
“Ukuzimisela kwakhe emdlalweni kuzahlala kukhunjulwa.”
Iphephandaba likazulu lizwe ukuba akusoke kube lokubuthana emfeni kaMaphepha, nanko phela kulezinqumo zeCovid-19 ezivala ukuthi kube lokubuthana.
