Of Peter Ndlovu and Cuthbert Chiromo’s unforgettable wagon of dreams
You seldom expect an old 1987 Toyota Cressida model to evoke worthwhile memories. Its generation of cars are dumped in scrapyards with no hope of resurrection.
But in the City of Kings – Bulawayo – Zimbabwe’s second-largest city, is one such vehicle. The 4-door hardtop sedan is well taken care of.
Understandably, it is the jalopy where many footballing dreams were birthed.
The owner is the late Cuthbert Chiromo, credited for recommending a raw, 16-year-old Peter Ndlovu to then Highlanders FC’s coach Roy Baretto. Chiromo was Ndlovu’s headmaster in the late 80s.
THE CAR REMINDED CUTHBERT CHIROMO OF PETER NDLOVU
“I’m still driving the car; it would be very painful to part with this car. It reminds me of boys like Peter Ndlovu that I drove to games in it,” he previously said to FARPost.
Chiromo breathed his last on Friday, 10 March 2023, with details about his death still sketchy.
The man, who was the headmaster of Mzilikazi from September 1989 until 2002, beamed when he started talking about his most illustrious pupil, Peter Ndlovu, who became the first black African to play in the modern English Premier League.
The hullabaloo was never about the car but the lives he impacted right inside it. The midsize vehicle would carry eight boys at a time as they went to play games. Driving with his boys created the occasion to give them some good pep talk.
“I would put eight boys in that car, and I remember Peter would often sit in the luggage space of the Station Wagon with the late Benjamin Nkonjera. Another teacher would carry the rest in his commuter omnibus. So, the car has sentimental value. Even my wife won’t let me sell it,” Chiromo said during the interview.
Melda Senderayi, who played basketball at the same school, remembers the jalopy too well.
“It was just a mere car, serving its purpose, but now it has a great historical significance, especially to a guy like Peter, who was like Chiromo’s son. He would be in that car all the time,” she says.
PETER NDLOVU FONDLY REMEMBERS THE CRESSIDA
And the first thing Ndlovu says to FARPost when shown the picture of the car is, “yawina iCoca Cola Cup imota leyi [this car won the Coca Cola Cup tournament]”.
The tournament is a prestigious national schools’ football competition that has served as a springboard into the professional game for many top Zimbabwean players, including Esrom Nyandoro.
Chiromo recalled how Ndlovu was instrumental when Mzilikazi High School won the inaugural competition in 1989. His countless sacrifices, which included keeping the school team at his house before games, started bearing fruit the same year Ndlovu broke into the Highlanders’ first team.
“I told Roy Barreto [who later coached Orlando Pirates], ‘when the team is winning comfortably, please introduce this boy in the last 15 minutes of the game’. He did so, and that was the turning point. Barreto never left him out of the team again,” said Chiromo, nicknamed Zagallo after the famous Brazilian legend.
The older generation will remember the 1990 Castle Cup final against Highlanders’ nemesis Dynamos.
Ex-Highlanders player and coach Lawrence Phiri tells of how the technical team decided to use their teenage sensation, Ndlovu, for the crunch tie. But it had to remain a secret until a few minutes before the game.
WHEN HIGHLANDERS UNLEASHED THE FLYING ELEPHANT
Their newly found sensation was sent to the capital Harare, where that final would be hosted days ahead of the game. The idea was to keep him far from the pressure associated with that game.
“While the team had a practice match in Bulawayo, he was quietly training alone in Harare. There was already hype around Peter featuring in the game, but we denied that he would be part of it. Even on match day, the rest of the team went onto the pitch without him,” recalls Phiri.
Luckily, at the time, teams did not have to share their team card with the opponents but only gave them to the referee. So, the man who would spearhead their attack on the day stayed put in the dressing room, only to emerge with the rest of the players shortly before kick-off, prompting a rapture of applause that rippled through the stadium.
According to Phiri, who remembers watching a four-year-old Ndlovu play street football with homemade plastic balls, the rookie was nonchalant about being thrown into what seemed a deep end. After a composed performance, he scored the second goal, helping the team to a 3-1 victory.
Later that year, FA Cup-winning manager John Sillett spotted the teenage starlet during a pre-season tour in Zimbabwe. When Sillet was sacked, his replacement, Terry Butcher, heeded his recommendation and later signed the “Bulawayo Bullet” ahead of the 1991/92 Division One season, which was to be the final campaign before the inauguration of the Premiership the following August.
THE MOMENT OF GRATIFICATION
Then came Chiromo’s moment of gratification. The day was August 22, 1992. His prodigy debuted for Coventry City against Tottenham Hotspur, coming off the bench in the last 20 minutes of the game. The Flying Elephant then announced his arrival a few days later, scoring against Chiromo’s Arsenal.
“I’m a Gunners man, but at that point, I came close to supporting Coventry City. It was an emotional moment for me,” Chiromo said.
The skilful and pacey ace, blessed with the deftest of touches, turned Coventry into one of the most exciting attacking teams in the topflight during that season. No wonder Chiromo almost dumped his beloved Gunners of London. His protégé found the net seven times, but his speed and skill on the ball caused opposition defences no end of trouble.
“He had speed, skill, strength and stamina,” Chiromo added.
He then enjoyed a better season in front of goal during the 1993/94 season, netting 11 goals and turning managers’ heads at the top clubs in the EPL. Arsenal came knocking with a £4 million bid, but it was rejected. The deal would have made him the most expensive English football player then.
The man known as “Nuddy” to Coventry fans remained at the club until 1997 and enjoyed some memorable moments that will live with football fans for years.
One of those moments came during the 1994/95 season when he became the first away player to score a hat-trick against Liverpool at Anfield in 33 years.
NSUKUZONKE’S LEGACY
He made 154 appearances for Coventry, totalling 34 goals and 13 assists between 1992 and 1997.
Ndlovu, now 47, was sold to rivals Birmingham City in the Championship for £1.5 million but moved to other Championship sides later. He arrived at Huddersfield Town on loan in December 2000 and joined Sheffield United on a free transfer on February 2001, respectively.
Ndlovu left English football in 2004 to play for Mamelodi Sundowns, where he is now serving as team manager.
Back in Zimbabwe, his impact was prodigious. He was capped over 100 times and scored 38 goals during his international career. Nsukuzonke [every day] claimed legendary status in 2004 when he captained The Warriors to their first AFCON appearance in Tunisia 2004.
The man remains arguably Zimbabwe’s most outstanding player of all time. Interestingly, it all started in that metallic blue jalopy.
But the man who drove that unforgettable jalopy has gone to be with the Lord. His sacrifices, though, are equally unforgettable.
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