Hundreds of soccer fans thronged the streets of Bulawayo Wednesday to bid farewell to the late Warriors and Highlanders Football Club striker Willard Mashinkila “Mawi” Khumalo, who died Sunday, as his body was ferried from a funeral home to the family house in Mzilikazi, ahead of its burial on Thursday.
Spokesman for the Khumalo family and former Highlanders chairman, Earnest Maphepha Sibanda, said business came to a standstill in the city as people sang and danced when the hearse carrying the late Khumalo passed by, with former Highlanders players jogging along.
The late Khumalo will be buried at Lady Stanley Cemetery, a burial site for respected Bulawayo citizens, who immensely contributed to the development of the city.
His former colleagues, who include Mercedes “Rambo” Sibanda, Adam “Adamsky” Ndlovu, and Benjamin Konjera, are buried at this cemetary.
Maphepha Sibanda said Premier Soccer League chairman Twine Phiri and Khumalo’s colleagues from all over the country have confirmed they will attend the burial.
He told Studio 7 a memorial service was held in Mzilikazi suburb on Wednesday evening for the late Khumalo.
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Interview with Ernest Maphepha Sibanda