Brenna Msiska –  Guerrilla Turned Goal Keeper

 Brenna Msiska

By Lovemore Dube 17/11/2022

                                                                                                           

SERVING his country appears to be what Brenna Msiska was born to do.

Msiska was served from the gallows in 1975 because he was Under-18 and years later he rose to national team material to be a servant of the nation.

In 1975 he was caught by the Rhodesian Army while on his way to Mozambique to join Zanu-PF’s military wing Zanla.

While already in Mozambican territory, Msiska and his gang of seven were intercepted by the Rhodesian Army and arrested.

He was sentenced to seven years but served four and was lucky not to be given a death sentence as crossing into Mozambique was equated to treason back then.

After serving for a while in Mutare, Msiska was transferred to Chikurubi in Harare where he became popular because of his good goalkeeping skills.

He had been arrested at 17 and in 1978 at the age of 20, he was released.

He joined a football club that played in the lower division leagues in Harare which was called Zimphos.

A year later he was invited to Black Aces by legendary Byron Manuel.

Within a week was first choice at Black Aces a position he held until 1985 when the club was relegated to the Northern Region.

At Aces he played with David Muchineripi, Rodrick Muganhiri, Tymon Mabaleka, Wonder Chisetera, Fresh Chamarenga, Clever Hunda and Simon Mudzudzu and for years there were among the most entertaining teams in the country.

Msiska was close to joining Dynamos in 1986 and trained briefly with them but found himself at Caps United who were keen to find a dependable replacement for long serving Duncan Ellison.

It is at Caps United that he featured in a number of cup finals such as the Chibuku Trophy, Rothmans Shield, Africa Day Cup.

At the time of joining Caps United, Msiska had won a number of Vaseline Goalkeeper of the Month Awards including Shotstopper of the Year.

Perhaps not to be national team goalkeeper it was because of Japhet Mparutsa, Bruce Grobbelaar, Mike Mhlanga, Raphael Phiri, Peter Fanwell, John Sibanda, Frank Mkanga and Lucky Dube, the hottest properties between the goalposts during those days.

Msiska was among the best to put it simple.

In 1989 he was selected into the Zimbabwe Five-a-side team that went to the World Cup. He got the nod to start ahead of Peter Nkomo who had been the 1988 Goalkeeper of the Year because of better footwork and confidence on the ball.

Msiska continued to shine into the 1990s and was for a long time Grobbelaar’s deputy in the Dream Team.

Msiska retired in 1996 at the age of 38 to give way to a young Karim Abdul and ventured into coaching and has set in the dug out for several clubs and the senior national team where he won four Cosafa Senior National Team Cups with Sunday Chidzambwa.

He coached Black Aces, Buymore,  Circle Cement, Caps United, Eiffel Flats and ZPC Kariba.

He was Goalkeeper of the Year in 1985, 1986 and 1995 among the Castle Lager Soccer Star of the Year finalists.

He also coached at the 2004 and 2019 Africa Cup of Nations under Sunday Chidzambwa.

Baba Gari as he is affectionately known is married and has seven children Pamela, Gari who is in Switzerland, Taona, Brenna, Bruce, Elsie and Emmanuel.

As of November 2022 Msiska was out of football running a transport business from his childhood neighbourhood of Mabvuku.