Highlanders Football Club has described chairman Kenneth Mhlophe, vice chairman Sifiso Siziba and finance executive committee member Nkani Khoza as “the architects of the club’s vision” following their deaths in a road traffic accident while returning from the club’s Premier Soccer League fixture against ZPC Kariba.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Bulawayo giants said the three were more than administrators, crediting them with shaping the club’s direction and safeguarding its values.
“They were far more than club officials. They were the architects of the club’s vision, the guardians of our values, and father figures to so many within the Highlanders Football Club family,” the club said.
“Their leadership, wisdom, dedication and unwavering commitment to Bosso will never be forgotten.”
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The club confirmed that Mhlophe, Siziba and Khoza died on Thursday evening while travelling back from Kariba, where Highlanders had played ZPC Kariba in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match.
According to earlier reports, the Ford Ranger Raptor carrying the club officials was involved in an accident at Lochard, about 50 kilometres along the Bulawayo-Harare highway. The vehicle is reported to have struck a cow before sideswiping an oncoming bus, overturning after the driver lost control. A female passenger also died after she was reportedly thrown from the vehicle and struck by another car.
Highlanders extended its condolences to the families of the deceased, club members, supporters and the wider football fraternity, saying funeral arrangements and other official matters would be communicated in due course.
The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) also paid tribute to the three executives, describing their deaths as “an immeasurable loss” for Highlanders, Bulawayo and Zimbabwean football.
ZIFA president Nqobile Magwizi said Zimbabwean football had lost “three devoted servants whose passion and commitment helped shape one of our nation’s greatest football institutions.”
“It is especially painful that this loss comes during Highlanders’ centenary year, a time that should have been filled with celebration and reflection on a remarkable legacy. Instead, the football family is united in mourning,” Magwizi said.
The deaths have cast a shadow over Highlanders’ centenary celebrations, with tributes continuing to pour in from across Zimbabwe’s football community.
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