News / National
‘Name Bosso offices after Gumede'
05 Jan 2022 at 05:53hrs | Views
HIGHLANDERS' vice-chairman aspirant Babongile Sikhonjwa has suggested that the club's offices along Robert Mugabe Way be named Ndumiso Gumede House in honour of the late iconic club president.
Sikhonjwe has thrown his hat into the ring for the Bosso vice-chairmanship being vacated by Morden Ngwenya at the club's elections next month.
Gumede died on Wednesday last week at Mpilo Central Hospital at the age of 76 and was buried at his rural home in Inyathi, Bubi District, yesterday morning.
Gumede has been described as the best football administrator this country has ever produced and dedicated 48 years of his life to the game's administration, which he first ventured into at the age of 34 when he was asked to take over the chairmanship of Bosso in 1979 while still teaching at Mzilikazi Secondary School.
This was just three years after he had been deployed to the school from Highfield Secondary in the the Salisbury where he first taught after graduating from Gwelo Teachers' College.
Gumede never looked back since being asked to lead Highlanders as the youngest chairman in its history.
Although he left the club to join Zifa as a committee member at the invitation of the Ministry of Sport in 1980, he returned to his beloved club again as chairman to compete the term of Malcolm King.
This time it was at the persuasion of the late Vice-President Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, and it was during his second tenure as Bosso chairman that Gumede spearheaded the acquisition of the only properties the club has to date.
His vision led the club to acquire the present day clubhouse at the corner of Queens Road and Masotsha Ndlovu Avenue as well as the Luveve camping house, which became popularly known as Hotel California.
The club also acquired two buses from Germany during the same period.
Sikhonjwa said it is only befitting to name the office after the club's and country's best administrator.
Speaking on the sidelines of Gumede's burial at his rural home in Inyathi yesterday, Sikhonjwa said the late Highlanders'president should be honoured in every way possible.
"Since every keynote speaker at the service and burial pronounced that Gumede was the best football administrator in Zimbabwe, it's befitting to name the Bosso offices Ndumiso Gumede House so that when future administrators walk into the offices they will inquire who Gumede was and learn his values and contributions and fully appreciate and understand what Highlanaders should be about," said Sikhonjwa.
"This is what it means to honour our legends, instead of just glowing and flowery verbal tributes, we ought to show our sincerity by immortalising our words through actions.
"If we truly believe that Gumede was the oasis of football administration, then we as Highlanders must be the first to honour his legacy before demanding that he be honoured nationally,," he said.
Bosso principal sponsors Sakunda Holdings are due to renovate the offices into a state of the art facility in honour of Gumede.
Sikhonjwe has thrown his hat into the ring for the Bosso vice-chairmanship being vacated by Morden Ngwenya at the club's elections next month.
Gumede died on Wednesday last week at Mpilo Central Hospital at the age of 76 and was buried at his rural home in Inyathi, Bubi District, yesterday morning.
Gumede has been described as the best football administrator this country has ever produced and dedicated 48 years of his life to the game's administration, which he first ventured into at the age of 34 when he was asked to take over the chairmanship of Bosso in 1979 while still teaching at Mzilikazi Secondary School.
This was just three years after he had been deployed to the school from Highfield Secondary in the the Salisbury where he first taught after graduating from Gwelo Teachers' College.
Gumede never looked back since being asked to lead Highlanders as the youngest chairman in its history.
Although he left the club to join Zifa as a committee member at the invitation of the Ministry of Sport in 1980, he returned to his beloved club again as chairman to compete the term of Malcolm King.
This time it was at the persuasion of the late Vice-President Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, and it was during his second tenure as Bosso chairman that Gumede spearheaded the acquisition of the only properties the club has to date.
The club also acquired two buses from Germany during the same period.
Sikhonjwa said it is only befitting to name the office after the club's and country's best administrator.
Speaking on the sidelines of Gumede's burial at his rural home in Inyathi yesterday, Sikhonjwa said the late Highlanders'president should be honoured in every way possible.
"Since every keynote speaker at the service and burial pronounced that Gumede was the best football administrator in Zimbabwe, it's befitting to name the Bosso offices Ndumiso Gumede House so that when future administrators walk into the offices they will inquire who Gumede was and learn his values and contributions and fully appreciate and understand what Highlanaders should be about," said Sikhonjwa.
"This is what it means to honour our legends, instead of just glowing and flowery verbal tributes, we ought to show our sincerity by immortalising our words through actions.
"If we truly believe that Gumede was the oasis of football administration, then we as Highlanders must be the first to honour his legacy before demanding that he be honoured nationally,," he said.
Bosso principal sponsors Sakunda Holdings are due to renovate the offices into a state of the art facility in honour of Gumede.
Source - The Chronicle
