Sports Correspondent
DAVID Khumalo, Hwange Football Club’s dribbling wizard of the 1970s and 1980s, breathed his last on Saturday morning at the Colliery Hospital. He had been unwell for a long time. He was admitted to Hwange Colliery Hospital complaining of pain in one of his legs, a problem he had lived with for over a decade.
Weekly Mwale, an authoritative voice on former Hwange players, posted on his Facebook account: “Hwange Town: Breaking news – David Dididi Khumalo, the pintsized Wankie FC dribbling wizard is no more. He passed on this morning (Saturday). Dididi a larger than life soccer legend was complaining of severe leg problems. May His Soul Rest In Peace.”
Khumalo spent part of his youth in Tsholotsho and briefly in Bulawayo before moving to Hwange in the early 1970s. By 1975, Khumalo was turning out for local club Zulu Hlakaza before he rose to become Hwange’s biggest crowd puller.
The stadium would reverberate to roars of “dhidhidhi, dhidhidhi” every time the ball landed on his feet. He was a brilliant dribbler, who weaved past defenders as if they were cones set up for a coaching drill.
His pinpoint passing and crosses gave big strikers Nyaro Mumba, Rodrick Simwanza, Chris Yoyo, Twyman Ncube, Barton Mwalukuka, Isaac Phiri, Skeva Phiri and the cheeky Nathan Maduku and Jimmy Sibanda the platform to make headlines. Others to benefit from his wing artistry were defenders Benson Soko and Austin Ncube, who played with him on the right, while the likes of Philemon Nyathi, Francis Mwinga, David Zulu, Masauso Mwnza and David Phiri had gloss added to their careers by the dribbling king’s stunts on the field.
Like the “Mastermind” George Shaya and legendary Stanley Ndunduma, Khumalo did not have stamina and pace, but he had the balance and compensated for that with great dribbling legs and a brain that made tearing past defenders look simple.
While his arrival was past the club’s trophy winning era of 1970 to 1973, Khumalo illuminated many stadia with his skills. So many left-backs were often left to sprawl on both the Hwange turf and track with a clever flick, a dummy and body swerve, as he either went for the kill or to set up a teammate.
Dhidhidhi turned down several overtures by clubs to play in Harare and Bulawayo. So good was he that he was considered for a national team call-up in 1978. That year the Rhodesia Football Association organised two teams to play against each other.
Long before step-overs were on the coaching syllabus, Khumalo was already doing them. Highlanders chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede yesterday described Khumalo as a great footballer, who went about his business so much to the delight of the fans.
“He was a great dribbler, a brilliant player, who entertained fans with his skills. I am not sure whether he was among the three Hwange players we toured Zambia with in 1980. He was good enough to be considered,” said Gumede.
Perhaps Khumalo’s biggest undoing was playing for a fading Hwange, which managed two runners-up slots during his time. Had he played for Caps United, Dynamos, or Highlanders, he could have been better rewarded for his talent.
While the likes of Madinda Ndlovu, Mike Abrahams, Joseph Machingura, Peter Ndlovu, Eric Aisam were pacy, Khumalo was a genius on the ball.
He inspired a generation of youngsters such as Kakoma Kayonga, Cephas Sibanda, Fabian Zulu, Joseph Chirwa, Simon Mwale, Chabuka Mwale, Andrew MaBinga Banda, Nathan Banda, Sheibu, Bernard Tembo, Alexander Sibanda and Brian Njobvu before he switched to defence.
His partnerships upfront with Leonard Tembo on the left or Melvin Kennedy were stuff that legends are made of. In his heydays, it was not surprising to have Maduku, Sibanda, Simwanza and Mumba on double figures in goals scored in a season.
In an interview 10 years ago, Khumalo said he had decided to stay at the Colliery than move to Highlanders because of job considerations.
