Highlanders legend laid to rest

HIGHLANDERS legend, Edward "Sales House" Dzowa, who died last Monday, was laid to rest at Lady Stanley Cemetery in Bulawayo yesterday with speakers describing him as a disciplinarian.

Speaking at the funeral service for the departed former Bosso skipper and manager at St Patrick's Parish in Makokoba yesterday, Lawrence "Lofty" Phiri who turned out for Highlanders together with Dzowa described Dzowa as someone who led by example as captain when it came to obedience. Phiri told the gathering that Dzowa even whipped him in line when he was going wayward, something which assisted in shaping his career.

"Dzowa was our captain, captains in the past were not just for the toss only, he was a captain who was a ruler, a disciplinarian, he once whipped me, after he did that to me I never spoke to him but I started doing the right things," Phiri said.

According to Phiri, it was through Dzowa's assistance that he was assisted by Highlanders to resume his studies with the club paying his school fees.

"He welcomed me when I came to Highlanders, he took me and made me what I became. He asked Highlanders to pay for my school fees, he is my father, my brother. The discipline I am talking about is what he instilled in all the players."

Phiri expressed his desire for him and some of the Highlanders former players to be involved in the club's structures so that their knowledge of the game does not go to waste.

"The knowledge that Dzowa took with him we will never see it again, what I learnt from him was discipline, even when I had finished playing

I became team manager, I also had discipline, I used to be called Major Dyke because of the discipline I got from Dzowa. We want to approach the Highlanders board to say we don't want others to die like Dzowa then we thank them when they are dead, we want to make use of them in the Highlanders structures," Phiri said.

Highlanders board chairman, Luke Mnkandla said Dzowa's death was a great loss to the Highlanders family which was still mourning the death of board member Jonathan Sayi Moyo in November last year and the last born of one of the Bosso founders, Albert Khumalo.

Mnkandla said what makes Dzowa's death more painful to them as Highlanders is the fact that they are in the process of documenting the Highlanders history and he was meant to play a great part in that.

"We are talking about a man who was nothing else but Highlanders. He was like a father figure to the players I know Edward used to whip some of the boys for not attending training sessions. As Highlanders it's a great loss for us, we have lost our shed, we are writing the history of Highlanders, this man was supposed to be one of the people who were meant to give us the history, because he knew what happened in the past, he is dead now, it's really sad," Mnkandla said.

Dzowa played for Highlanders from 1964 to 1978 and later became Bosso coach and team manager. He was Josiah Nxumalo's assistant when players such as Madinda Ndlovu made it into the first term in 1979.

The former Bosso skipper, who died at Mater Dei Hospital after suffering a stroke, was interred next to his wife Joyce who died in October 2016. He leaves behind six children, Nkululeko, Mpumelelo, Tholakele, Thando, Thabani and Samukelisiwe.