BULAWAYO — Highlanders Football Club on Monday held an emotional memorial and send-off service at Barbourfields Stadium for chairman Kenneth Mhlophe , vice-...
BULAWAYO — Highlanders Football Club on Monday held an emotional memorial and send-off service at Barbourfields Stadium for chairman Kenneth Mhlophe, vice-chairman Sifiso Siziba, finance executive Nkani Khoza and devoted supporter Mbalenhle Sibanda, who died in a road accident last Thursday.
Thousands of mourners, including football supporters, former players, club officials, government representatives and members of the public, gathered at the iconic stadium to pay their final respects to the four.
The memorial service began after gates opened early in the morning, with the bodies of the four victims paraded around Barbourfields Stadium, allowing supporters to bid a final farewell to individuals who dedicated their lives to Highlanders Football Club.
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Acting Highlanders chairman Kindman Ndlovu had called on football fans and members of the public to attend the service in solidarity with the bereaved families and the club during what he described as one of the darkest moments in Highlanders’ history.
The four lost their lives in a road traffic accident near Mbembesi, about 60 kilometres outside Bulawayo along the Harare-Bulawayo Highway, while returning from Kariba where Highlanders had played ZPC Kariba in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match.
The tragedy shocked Zimbabwe’s football fraternity, prompting the Premier Soccer League to postpone Highlanders’ scheduled league fixture against Chicken Inn as the club and supporters mourned the loss of key members of its leadership.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the accident a national tragedy and granted state-assisted funerals to all four victims in recognition of their contribution to Zimbabwean football and sport.
Following the memorial service, Sifiso Siziba and Nkani Khoza were scheduled to be buried at Lady Stanley Cemetery in Bulawayo later on Monday.
Kenneth Mhlophe is expected to be laid to rest at the same cemetery on Tuesday, while Mbalenhle Sibanda will be buried in Filabusi.
The memorial service marked a solemn moment for Highlanders as players, supporters and the wider football community united to honour four people whose service and commitment left a lasting impact on one of Zimbabwe’s oldest and most successful football clubs.
