Madinda “Khathazile” Ndlovu-Former Highlanders Player and Coach as well as Former National Team Soccer Player

Madinda Ndlovu           

From the time Barbourfields Stadium became the home ground for Highlanders Football Club in the 1970s, there may never have been the reverberation that was constantly experienced in the ground in the early years of Independence, when Bosso was powered by luminaries that include Madinda “Khathazile” Ndlovu. 

Each time he launched his forays on the right flank, Madinda would ignite a frenzy that would engulf the stadium, characterised by loud cheering and whistling that was heard several kilometres from the stadium. Bosso fans loved and enjoyed Madinda’s dribbling skills, speed, reflexes and reaction time which saw him often dribbling past multiple opposing players on a run. The fans had no option but to name him Khathazile due to his troublesome and tormenting nature to opposition.

His presence on the pitch had a great effect on his team’s general performance, while he would often be singled out by the opposition.

Because of his menacing presence on the field he was a target for many defenders

and his short fuse in retaliation earned him cards that affected his chances on the once in demand Soccer Star of the Year calendar in 1984 and 1985.

Madinda Ndlovu was born on May 2, 1965 in Binga district Matabeleland North province. His father who was working for the city of Bulawayo arranged for the toddler to be brought to the city just three months after birth.

He was the third born in a family of 11 six boys and five girls. Madinda began his primary education at St Patricks School in Bulawayo. Upon completing grade 3, he was taken back to Binga to continue his primary education at Kariyangwe Mission. After grade seven he was moved to Marist Brothers Mission in the Hwange area for secondary education. At school young Madinda was good in both athletics and football but gradually chose to concentrate on football.

During the holidays Madinda would join his family in Makokoba high density suburb in Bulawayo and would frequent city council social clubs to play soccer. In the later seventies, Madinda was spotted by young talent scout Alibaba Dube who inducted him into the junior team of Highlanders FC.

The turning point for Madinda’s footballing career was when in 1980 he played in a reserve Highlanders side against a team comprised of former ZIPRA freedom fighters from Gwayi River Mine. PF ZAPU leader Dr Joshua Nkomo did the symbolic kick-off for the match.

Dr Nkomo asked the Highlanders leadership why Madinda was not in the first team that had gone to Harare to play in the Rothmans Shield Cup final against Caps United as he had been impressed by the speedy winger.

This marked Madinda’s real start as a regular, coinciding with the departure of Doughty Sithole to the United States of America on scholarship

Sithole had made the right wing his from 1977 so much that Madinda had to watch from the sidelines including a loan spell to lower division side Marvo.

Madinda made a name for himself while playing for Bosso alongside other club legends such as Tymon Mabaleka, Mercedes Sibanda, Willard Khumalo, Titus Majola, Tito Paketh, Douglas Mloyi and Peter Nkomo in a highlanders side considered the best to date by many.

He is said to have been one of the most talented wingers during his footballing days when the likes of Boy Ndlovu, Moses Chunga, Stanley Ndunduma, Mike Abrahams and David Khumalo.

  With Madinda on the right flank, the new look Bosso of the early 1980s began to win silverware, the first most recognisable being the 1984 Chibuku Trophy final, a 2-1 win over Dynamos at Rufaro Stadium.

Madinda and Willard Khumalo were on target that afternoon and more silverware followed in the next six years with 1986 and 1988 being the most colourful as the club bagged the BAT Rosebowl Trophy, Independence Cup, Rothmans Shield, Chibuku Trophy, Castle Cup, Heroes Cup and the Africa Day Cup.

Sadly for his brilliance he was not on hand to be part of the 1990 team that won the club’s first national league title in independent Zimbabwe as he was playing lower division football in Germany.

But would return to be part of the 1993 league championship side with his younger brother Adam Ndlovu and aging teammates Dumisani Nyoni, Peter Nkomo, Rambo Sibanda and Rahman Gumbo.

Madinda has the distinction of being the first Highlanders FC player ever called up to a national team at Independence Day on April 18, 1980. He was part of the inaugural Under-20 side at the age of 15 and would stay in that team for close to four years with caps in the Olympic and senior national team coming as early as 1981 and he would stay on until 1993 during the Dream Team making him probably the most capped Number Seven of his era.

Another distinction that Madinda had for a while was his five appearances on the Soccer Star of the Year calendar, the most by a Bosso player
He retired in 1994 to take up coaching at his boyhood club and is credited with assembling the team that won the league title four times on the trot 1998/9-2002 and would return later to coach and unearth gems like Ariel Sibanda and Bruce Kangwa both club legends he gave first team football in 2009.

Madinda is a multi-silverware winner in Botswana with three league titles under his belt.

The man who had several nicknames Juluka, Madlezibabayo, Khathazile and Shaky has also coached national teams.

Madinda and Moses Chunga were honoured by Sakunda holding with a gift of a house worth US$90 000 each for their sterling services to their clubs and the nation.

Such was their influence that several children were christened Moses and Madinda in the 1980s.