Dumiso Gumede – Soccer – Highlanders – an illustrious and unassuming veteran administrator

Dumiso Gumede 

           By    Tapfuma Machakaire

 

 

A story capturing the history of Zimbabwean soccer will be incomplete if it omits the name of Ndumiso Emmanuel Gumende, an illustrious and unassuming veteran administrator who died in December 2021 at the age of 76.

Gumede affectionately known as Gumz, was born in the city of Bulawayo on 14 October 1945 and grew up in Mzilikazi’s high density suburb residing at number 62 in R square. His father Sithelo Gumede was a teacher and his mother was Elina Msimanga.

Gumede did his primary education at Matshetshe, Gwayi Inyathi schools before proceeding to Mpopoma High School. He trained as a school teacher at Gwelo Teachers College in 1966 to 1968, His interest in soccer first emerged when he trained as a football referee while at college.

From 1969 to 1975 he was a science and mathematics teacher at Highfields secondary school in Harare where he also served as the sports master. Among his students were Shackman Tauro and Oliver Kateya both of whom later became outstanding football stars.

When he moved to teach at Mzilikazi secondary school in Bulawayo in 1975, Gumede also assumed the role of sports master and was a referee for inter-schools sports games. Gumede upgraded his refereeing skills with the assistance of leading referees Paul Pretorius and Godfrey Kandawasvika.

His first involvement with his beloved home team Highlanders Football club was in 1974 when he became the club’s representative in Salisbury. When he came back to Bulawayo he served in the club’s finance committee.

Gumede served as Highlanders chairman from 1978 to 1980. He was appointed to the first Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) board by the then Minister of Sports Arts and Culture Joice Mujuru a position he held from1980 to 1983.

In 1984 following the early departure by Malcom King from the post of Highlanders chairman, Gumede was summoned by the PF-ZAPU leader Dr Joshua Nomo who told him that people wanted him to take over the post left by King.

It was under Gumede’s leadership that Highlanders acquired three properties that include the offices in Robert Mugabe Street and the camping house in Luveve popularly known as “Hotel California” and later secured the clubhouse in 1987.\In 1986 Gumede was given another mandate to lead the club.

In 1987 Gumede was elected Vice President of ZIFA following the intervention of then President Cannan Banana who was the Zifa Patron, at a time the association had been experiencing numerous problems. Gumede had meanwhile resigned from teaching in 1986 after failing to get a post as Deputy Headmaster at Ihlathi Secondary.

In 1989 Gumede was elected to the post of Zifa secretary which he served until 1991 when he left for Botswana. In Botswana he worked with Lawrence Phiri to reorganise Notwane Football club, upgrading it from running as a boozers club to a professionally run soccer club. In 1998 Gumede was invited by the Zifa board to take up the post of chief executive officer of the association, a newly created post which he held until 2004. In 2010 Gumede bounced back at Zifa offices as Vice President under the leadership of Cuthbert Dube.

Gumede served in a committee tasked by the late former President Robert Mugabe to carry out an assessment of sporting facilities in the country. The committee was headed by veteran sports administrator Tommy Sithole. In 2014 Gumede returned to Highlanders as CEO.until 2016.

In 2019 he was appointed Highlanders President, a post he held until his death. He is also credited for helping expose the widely publicised Asiagate scandal, the biggest match fixing scandal to rock Zimbabwean football. During investigations into the scandal, Gumede who was Zifa president , at one time had to put on a dress to run away from police who were allegedly harassing whistle blowers into the case.

Gumede married twice and divorced twice. His first marriage was from 1973 to 1987. He re-married in 1992 and got divorced again in 1994.

The eccentric Gumede acted in several plays in Zimbabwe and he also starred in a films that include More Time, Xola, and Yellow Card and also played a part in the 1987 epic drama film, Cry Freedom, directed and produced by Richard Attenborough. He was a cheerful man full of surprises and would at times appear at football matches dressed in Zulu tradition gear

He had twin boys with his first wife, one son from the second marriage and a daughter with a Harare woman he had a relationship with in between his two marriages.

Gumede died at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo on Wednesday 29 December 2021 hours after being admitted with a kidney ailment. His death came barely a week after Highlanders Football Club hosted a special function to celebrate his life and immense contribution to the club where Gumz did a rendition of the song Stand by Me by Den E. King, much to the amusement of the patroness most of whom were interacting with him for the last time. Was the function the “befitting farewell” by the club that he loved so dearly – Bosso!

Ends.