News / Local
Huge send-off for Gumede
05 Jan 2022 at 01:00hrs | Views
SCORES of people thronged rural Inyathi in Bubi district today to pay their final respects to Highlanders president and veteran football administrator Ndumiso Gumede who was laid to rest at the family shrine.
Gumede died on Wednesday after a short illness a week after the club had honoured him for over 40 years of football service to the club and the country.
Former Warriors and Highlanders striker Madinda Ndlovu, the main man when the club won several trophies in the mid-1980s when Gumede was chairperson, said the club president's death was a big loss to the institution.
"It's a big loss to Highlanders and all those that loved him. He leaves a very big gap which we don't know how it will be filled. I wish we could get someone who is just like him. We definitely need brains like his. As former players who played during his time, we are heartbroken and we hope Highlanders will move on after this tragedy. But there is a saying that says when one door is closed, others are open. We hope to get someone to fill in the gap," Ndlovu said.
Another ex-player and coach Cosmas Zulu said Gumede was a fountain of knowledge.
"The death of an old man in a village is like burning of a library. Gumede was that kind of library. In the years that I spent at Highlanders, I have never come across a knowledgeable administrator like Gumede. Lastly, it was him and Lawrence Phiri who saw the potential in me as a coach and an administrator. Farewell Yours Truly," Zulu said.
Zulu is now goalkeepers' coach at Ngezi Platinum Stars.
Highlanders chairperson Johnfat Sibanda said he was gutted when he learnt of Gumede's death through the club's acting executive officer Ronald Moyo.
Sibanda said he still had a lot to learn from Gumede.
"I was learning a lot from the man. He had a lot of football knowledge. He has gone with his knowledge. We will do with what he has left us," Sibanda said.
Prominent figures that attended the burial include politician Tshinga Dube, Premier Soccer League chief executive Kennedy Ndebele, former Zifa president Vincent Pamire and former Highlanders chairman Kenneth Mhlophe.
Also in attendance was another former chairman Peter Dube, former board member Davies Ndumiso Sibanda and current board members.
Gumede's friends from South Africa, Botswana and Namibia and relatives from Europe and the United States of America were also in Inyathi.
Gumede died on Wednesday after a short illness a week after the club had honoured him for over 40 years of football service to the club and the country.
Former Warriors and Highlanders striker Madinda Ndlovu, the main man when the club won several trophies in the mid-1980s when Gumede was chairperson, said the club president's death was a big loss to the institution.
"It's a big loss to Highlanders and all those that loved him. He leaves a very big gap which we don't know how it will be filled. I wish we could get someone who is just like him. We definitely need brains like his. As former players who played during his time, we are heartbroken and we hope Highlanders will move on after this tragedy. But there is a saying that says when one door is closed, others are open. We hope to get someone to fill in the gap," Ndlovu said.
Another ex-player and coach Cosmas Zulu said Gumede was a fountain of knowledge.
"The death of an old man in a village is like burning of a library. Gumede was that kind of library. In the years that I spent at Highlanders, I have never come across a knowledgeable administrator like Gumede. Lastly, it was him and Lawrence Phiri who saw the potential in me as a coach and an administrator. Farewell Yours Truly," Zulu said.
Highlanders chairperson Johnfat Sibanda said he was gutted when he learnt of Gumede's death through the club's acting executive officer Ronald Moyo.
Sibanda said he still had a lot to learn from Gumede.
"I was learning a lot from the man. He had a lot of football knowledge. He has gone with his knowledge. We will do with what he has left us," Sibanda said.
Prominent figures that attended the burial include politician Tshinga Dube, Premier Soccer League chief executive Kennedy Ndebele, former Zifa president Vincent Pamire and former Highlanders chairman Kenneth Mhlophe.
Also in attendance was another former chairman Peter Dube, former board member Davies Ndumiso Sibanda and current board members.
Gumede's friends from South Africa, Botswana and Namibia and relatives from Europe and the United States of America were also in Inyathi.
Source - NewsDay Zimbabwe
