The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
FORMER soccer star of the year finalist, Themba ‘Chairman’ Ndlovu, who turned out for Eastern Lions, Buffaloes, Motor Action, Harare City, Manica Diamonds and Dynamos, among many others in a lengthy career spanning 16 years, has hung his boots and is now pursuing a coaching career which kicks off at Manica Diamonds Juniors.
It is normal in football for defenders to get less attention than their striking counterparts and Ndlovu is no exception even though his decorated career saw him lift the Premiership title with Motor Action in 2010, Dynamos in 2013 and 2014.
He was part of the Harare City Class of 2015 which won the Chibuku Cup, the Motor Action FC team that lifted the 2012 Chibuku Cup and the BancABC Super the previous year, the Dynamos squad that lifted the BOB 90 trophy in 2014 and the NetOne Cup the same year.
As if that was enough, Ndlovu was at Motor Action when the club ended as finalists in the Mbada Diamond Cup of 2011 and won the Independence Cup with Dynamos in 2014.
At Eastern Lions, Ndlovu helped the club settle for silver in the CBZ Cup of 2008 and also won the PicknPay Cup in 2014 with Dynamos.
He was part of the Zimbabwe team that settled for fourth position in the CHAN tournament held in South Africa in 2014.
The Charity cups he won with different clubs are too many to mention!
But for some funny reasons that border on a past tainted with age cheating, Ndlovu, just like most players plying their trade in different leagues on the continent, has never wanted to make his age known.
“I have never wanted my age on paper during my playing days and you know it until now, I don’t like it. I am just old enough to retire,” said the hard tackling defender.
The veteran defender who turned out for many teams in more than a decade of playing Premiership football was attached to clubs that include Eastern Lions, both in the Eastern Region Division One and Premier Soccer League, Buffalos both in Division One and PSL, the now defunct Premiership outfit, Motor Action, Mutare City Rovers, both in the second tier league as well as in the top-flight league, Chapungu, Dynamos, Harare City, Nichruit FC, Kiglon and finally Manica Diamonds.
Funny enough, for his hard tackles, Ndlovu only got only one red card, but many yellow cards in his whole career.
The red card was when he was still at Buffaloes in a match against Dynamos which the former won 3-2.
Ndlovu spoke candidly about the challenges faced by local football players which he also encountered as a player.
“Honestly, there were some challenges in my career, but sometime you just have to soldier on even if it is painful. That is the only way to make sure you achieve your goals. It is not easy to play all these years (16), worse in our domestic PSL where sometimes club leaders lie to players just for them to play without receiving a cent.
“At times players go through difficult moments. Imagine coming from Hatfield by foot to go to Callies Motor Action Sports Club for training. But all this is part of life as a football player in Zimbabwe. What is important to all young guys is just to work hard.
“It is painful I know, but I promise these young players that one day they will enjoy the fruits of their sweat,” said Ndlovu.
Thanks to his sober habits, Ndlovu has something to show for his 16 years in football as a player as he managed to build his own house in Mutare’s Zimta Park suburb.
Though he was born at Mpilo Hospital in Bulawayo and attended school in Kadoma, Mutare has been his home.
“Mutare has been my home for a long time now. There are people I will forever be indebted to, who have treated me like their own blood and these include Ticha Zikai and David Mambondiani. People like Ashel Mtungura, Lazarus Mungwari, Francis Mabika and Gift Mapinda have played a crucial role in my career,” he said
The soft spoken former soccer star of the year finalist heartily thanked those who shaped his career.
“I thank all teammates I met along the way and opponents too. They were just awesome and I cherish the moments. I cannot forget all the fans across the country. They mean a lot to me.
“Above all, I want to thank the Manica Diamonds family, from the chief executive, the chairman, vice-chairman, the executive and the technical team as well as the players. They are just awesome. I really want to thank them for everything. May God bless them all,” said Ndlovu in his parting shot.
