Rosemary Mugadza – The Girl who grabbed the Bull By the Horns

Rosemary Mugadza

by Lovemore Dube

The Girl who grabbed the Bull By the Horns

ROSEMARY Mugadza’s legendary status stands out tall in her Nguboyenja footballing family.

She had to work her way up ahead of her footballing brothers to be among Zimbabwe’s Who is Who in the game.

Her way up was not a stroll in the park as she had to do household tasks and rush to training as her brothers too had an affliction to the beautiful game.

Mugadza who retired in 2002 from active playing, has such an impressive resume that she is viewed as the equivalent of the Afcon winning Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis.

Born to Patrobes Mugadza a Bulawayo businessman whose Morris 12-seater bus she grew up seeing Zimbabwe Saints players cramping into in the 1970s, Rosemary had to grab the bull by the horns.

She was among the pioneers at Zimbabwe Saints Queens in 1988 when women’s soccer was pioneered by Ndumiso Gumede, Elizabeth Langa and Dorothy Mpofu among others.

Society was resistant. It took a lot of convincing to have the girls play at Barbourfields Stadium on the same bill with the senior team.

Cultural beliefs bar women from mixing while going to battle. The argument is if they are in their monthly cycles, this may weaken men if they come across each other’s paths.

Acceptance was very slow with girls given old uniforms and balls.

Mugadza persevered where most of her peers gave up and was joined in the early 1990s at Chikwata by the sensational Nomsa ‘Boyz’ Moyo.

But her big break would come in 1994 when she joined New Orleans owned by Haverson Masilela.

For almost a decade the club dominated women’s football in Zimbabwe led by Rosemary, a born leader.

Playing as a centreback, partnered by big Thenjiwe Dube, with Daisy Mukwena and Dudu Nkomo in goal, the Entumbane lasses were a great deal for women’s soccer winning city, regional and national tournaments.

In the mid 1990s she established herself in the Mighty Warriors and when the country started playing in continental and regional tournaments, she was Venom Boaz and Pardon Nkomo’s first five peak.

She was a good reader of the game, good tackler, comfortable on the ball and an inspiration behind her younger teammates.

She toured several countries in Central, Southern and West Africa.

She made Zimbabwe a top four African country behind Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa.

At New Orleans she played also with the likes of Fundai Nyamutukwa, Magi Ndlovu, Pretty Phiri, Ntombi Ndlovu and Portia Magusekwa.

Netball like scorelines were regular at her prime and she scored a number of goals.

On retiring at 32 in 2002, Rosemary served her apprenticeship in coaching at New Orleans. She did not disappoint winning the league and tournaments in Botswana, South Africa and Swaziland.

Towards 2008 she was introduced to the senior national team coaching pool and worked hard identifying players from all over the country making it a real national team.

She eventually took over and is credited with being the brains behind Zimbabwe’s qualification to the Olympics.

The Southern African country’s women’s team became the first Zimbabwe team event side to qualify for the Olympics.

The 1980 hockey and football teams participated on invitation after the Western Bloc boycotted due to the Cold War with Russia the hosts.

Her exploits did not go unnoticed as Harare City Council engaged her fulltime for the women’s team.

She has upgraded herself to Caf Instructor and is as of August 2022 she is the men’s team assistant coach working under Taurai Mangwiro, the second female to hold that post in the land after former club and national teammate Sithethelelwe ‘ Kwinji 15′ Sibanda who held the same post at Tsholotsho FC.

While young brother Brian made it to the Young Warriors, Rosemary has made history by playing and coaching her national team another first.

Lovejoy, Abisha, Charles and Abed also played competitive football. Their section of Nguboyenja has produced a number of stars and the joke has always been if you throw a stone you  are bound to hit a relative of a prominent player.

Other players from Nguboyenja are Roland and Rudolf Ndiweni, Dumaza Dube, Tapiwa and Tobias Mudyambanje, Thando, Edward, Mpumelelo and Kenneth Dzowa, Richard Kasawaya, Collins Rusenza and Mpumelelo Bhebhe.

Her eldest brother Lovejoy Mugadza says they are planning on a documentary to celebrate her success, her brothers’ and father’s involvement in the game.