Tendai Chieza        

                                                                       By Tapfuma Machakaire

In the late 1960’s to the 70’s, possession of the soccer stars of the year calendar would earn one lots of respect. The calendar was produced and distributed by National Breweries,sponsors of the soccer star of the year competition through its brand Castle lager.

It appeared more like a poster and would have a huge image of the reigning soccer star surrounded by miniature photos of the other ten stars. Careful consideration in photo selection ensured each player was portrayed in a posture that gave an impression of how good the star was on the pitch to deserve the prestigious award.

In analysing the impact of soccer, one academic noted that the soccer stars calendar became that prized as football was used by the colonial regime as “a tool of social control, teaching the values of discipline, hygiene and sobriety.”

In 1970, it was the huge photo of Tendai Chieza of Mhangula Football Club which dominated the calendar, surrounded by smaller images of the other stars.

Chieza who was from a team based at a small copper-mining town Mhangula, 188 kilometres North West of Harare, had successfully wrestled the award from Mastermind George Shaya of Dynamos. Shaya had won the soccer star award the previous year (1969) and would reclaim the title two years later in 1972 after Peter Nyama of Chibuku Shumba.

For Chieza, the 1970 honour was coming for the second time having been crowned the winner in 1968.The competition was then organised and sponsored by the Rhodesia National Football league.

Chieza’s career started when he was in secondary school at Benard Mzeki College in 1954. His father, Gideon Chieza who was a welfare officer at Mhangula mine would facilitate his talented boys to play for the mine team during school holidays.

This explains how the seven Chieza brothers, Hector, George, Itai, Isaac, Winston and Temba all ended up playing for Mhangula, the formidable team that instilled fear in all top flight clubs including the “giants” of local of soccer, Dynamos of Salisbury. Other notable stars in the team included George Kondowe, one of the best attacking linkman of his era, Jonathan Munjoma, Pillemon Phiri, Aleck Masanjala, Lovemore Nyabeza, Booker Muchenu and Joseph Galloway.

Chieza served his club as linkman, captain and player coach. One of the highlights for the team was to lift the Castle Cup in 1973 and winning the Chibuku trophy.

In 1975 Chieza was approached by a Bulawayo businessman and chairman of Mashonaland United Football Club, Reuben Zemura to take up the post of player coach with the club.

In one of the rare interviews that Chieza has given, he spoke about the tribal rivalry between Mashonaland United and Matabeleland Highlanders which was partly attributed to the two clubs’ names. This led to the change of names of the two teams to Zimbabwe Saints FC and Highlanders FC respectfully.

Personalities credited with influencing the change of the names are the late Dr, Herbert Ushewekunze and the late former Vice President, Dr Joshua Nkomo.

Chieza recalls his time at Zimbabwe Saints with his brother George while his other two brothers Itai and Winston where playing for Highlanders.

A Bulawayo derby between the two teams created friction in the Chieza home in Bulawayo. “The week before the derby, we did not speak, a week after the derby, we did not speak, this was a strange situation for all of us. Football was keeping us apart,” said Chieza.

As head coach and team manager at Zimbabwe Saints with Roy Barreto as his assistant, Chieza boasts of winning the 1977 Castle Cup, the league championship, the Chibuku trophy and playing in the Champions league.

At Mhangula he is rembered as one of the most versatile players in the game and the brains behind Mhangula’s success.

Chieza later moved to Salisbury Sables where he joined players that included Simon “Super” Supiya, William Sibanda, Peter Nyama, Daniel Chikanda, Shepherd Murape and Goose Galloway.

He rose to become one of the only two qualified African coaches in Rhodesia. In between his stints with Mangula, Tendai also had a spell at Bulawayo Sables, a team sponsored by the National Breweries. As as a qualified coach, he also had the task of coaching throughout the region. This was under the National Breweries coaching scheme in 1968.

It remains a mystery as to how Tendai Chieza was not on the first multiracial Rhodesian team which played against Australia in the 1970 Football World Cup. The matches were held in November 1969 at the Salazar Stadium in Lourenço Marques, capital city of Moçambique. His two brothers Itai and Isaac were in the team.

Tendai now lives in the UK. He is married to Roselyn whom he wedded in 1972. He has four children Gideon, Gerald, Tafadzwa and Julian and five grandchildren.