Owayengunozinti weqembu labesifazane elimela isizwe emdlalweni wenguqu uNavy Masuku uthi kasoze akhohlwe usuku lapho adlala ebukelwe ngumuyi owayengumongameli welizwe leSouth Africa uNelson Mandela.
UNavy uthi uzahlala elukhumbula usuku lwesine ngenyanga kaNhlangula ngomnyaka ka1997 lapho athola khona ithuba elokudlala ebukelwe ngumuyi uMandela.
“Umdlalo engingasoze ngiwukhohlwe kulapho esavulela khona indlela iqembu leBafana Bafana lidlala leleNetherlands emdlalweni weNelson Mandela Challenge. Sabangisana sisiyaqhawula uDoctor Khumalo singabadlali. Khonokhuyana nje ukuthi sibambe osaziwayo kanye lokuthi sidlale phambi kukaMandela. Abanye empilweni kabasoze balithole ithuba elinjalo,” kutsho uNavy.
UNavy uqale ukudlalela iqembu leHighlanders Royals engunozinti ngo1990 ngesikhathi iqembu lelo kuyilo umaqhuzu ebholeni labesifazane elizweni leZimbabwe. Abanye abadlali adlale labo kuHighlanders Royals ngabagoqela uEvelyn Tombala, Evelyn Ndlovu, Maria Ndlovu, Bridget Zimunya, Sikhangele Sibanda kanye loElizabeth “Pele” Moyo.
Ubengunozinti njalo weqembu lesizwe kwaze kwaba ngumnyaka ka1998.
“Sasidlalela isibongo nje kuthiwe siyabonga mankazana sizahlangana ngoLwesibili sizilolonge. Loba uhambe kuqembe lesizwe lifike lanqoba kwakuthiwa siyabonga mankazana sizahlangana sesizilolonga. Kuthe ngo1998 sekubunjwa iqembu lesizwe eliphiwe igama lokuthi Mighty Warriors babe besibiza sayala thina sathi sesidiniwe ngokudlalela isibongo kuphela kanti sasingazi ukuba luhlelo oluqakathekileyo. Yikho lapho engahle ngaphuma khona kuqembu lesizwe,” kuchasisa uNavy.
Ngemva kwalokho uNavy udlale okweminyaka emibili kuphela wekela ukudlala ngo2000.
“Ekumeni kwami ukudlala iqembu langikhetha ukuba ngikhangele abadlali njalo lokho ngakwenza okweminyaka emithathu. Inkokheli yeqembu eyayilomuyi uJames Mangwana Tshuma, Kennedy Ndebele kanye loNhlanhla Dube basebebuza ukuba lina badlali asebebadala likhethani phakathi kokuba ngabaqeqetshi kumbe onompembe. Mina ngakhetha ukuba ngunompembe bangibhadalela ngenza izifundo zabonompembe ngasengiqala ukutshaya impembe ngo2003,” kutsho okaMasuku.
UNavy usebenze engunompembe kwaze kwaba ngu2013. Ngemva kwalokho ufundele ukuba ngusikomitshi wabonompembe waphinda njalo wafundela lokuba ngumqeqetshi.
Ekuqaleni komnyaka uphendukile kuqembu leHighlanders Royals lapho aqhatshwe khona ukuba ngumqondisi wabadlali.
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Udaba Esilwethulelwe NguJoseph Njanji