Lovemore Dube, Zimpapers Sports HubTo many Highlanders fans, Gibson Homela was the man they loved to hate.The midfield rock for Zimbabwe Saints from 1963, Homela joined the club alongside the late Aleck Mwanza and William Sibanda, both scouted from Gweru Amateur Football Association and Fletcher High School.He quickly became the difference between victory and defeat whenever Saints faced Bosso.Highlanders poster boy Tymon Mabale often struggled to shine under Homela’s tough, no-nonsense play.Whether it was Cavin Duberley, Isaac Mafaro, Tommy Masuku, Majuta Mpofu, or Josiah Nxumalo, Homela had a habit of shutting them down with commanding performances.To many watching, it seemed personal. Many assumed he had a grudge against Highlanders. But for the first time, Homela is speaking out — and he calls it what it really was: pure football rivalry.
Gibson HomelaFans still talk about the 1976 Chibuku Cup final when Zimbabwe Saints crushed Highlanders 4-0 at Rufaro Stadium. Homela had just returned from studying in England.Saints quietly flew him in and lodged him at YMCA Kambuzuma to re-join the team.When Homela walked onto the pitch, he rattled Silas Ndlovu’s Highlanders side. The game plan collapsed.
Though he’d long played as a defender, he was pushed upfield and responded with two goals. Max Tshuma added another two, and Bosso never recovered.Homela admits Highlanders brought out the best in him.“It’s wrong to say I hated Highlanders. I liked them.
They were a team that motivated me so much I’d train extra on my own just to prove a point,” he said.These days, Homela rarely misses a Highlanders match. And yes, believe it or not, he once wore their colours.In 1980, while working at Bata Shoe Company, Homela helped arrange a tour of Zimbabwe by Bata Bullets of Malawi.One of their matches was against Highlanders, who invited him to be their guest player. That day, he lined up in black and white.Zimpapers Sports Hub caught up with Homela in Mzilikazi where he joined legends visiting their ailing former teammate Ephraim “Kid” Moloi-Moyo.Moloi-Moyo’s story stirs memories of fierce battles on the pitch, including a funny moment when teammate Douglas Mloyi accidentally head-butted him during a game.Laughter echoed as the legends remembered those unforgettable times.Share on FacebookPost on XFollow usSave
Originally published on Zimbabwe Herald
Source: Herald
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