The Sunday Mail
Veronica Gwaze Sports Reporter
OF the six teams that formed the Netball Super League back in 1993, only two still exist while the other four are now just, but dark shadows of what used to be.
Founded by Ledwin Dondo, Eva Chirwa among other netball grannies, upon inception the then top-flight league had the now-defunct quartet of St Mary’s, Highlanders, Hwange and Mhangura.
Black Rhinos and the Zimbabwe Republic Police Queens are the only two still standing, with the latter later rebranding to ZRP Mambas Queens before clinching the league title in 2018.
The following year, the police side jumped ship to join Rainbow Netball Amateur League, a three-year-old league to which Black Rhinos are also affiliated.
“At first there was no netball league to talk of so we could only play inter-townships, social and sponsored cups with our major sponsors being UBM and Lyons,” Dondo told The Sunday Mail Sport.
“Netball was simply a game of passion for the first teams that started the league, we got very little, but surprisingly we never had rebellious players or strikes — everything was simply based on passion, and we did it wholeheartedly”.
Despite Black Rhinos and ZRP Queens the only survivors to date, it was St Mary’s who were the most popular of the six clubs that started the league.
With an astonishing 13-year long unbeaten run between 1985 and 1998, they remain the best side to have been assembled.
Dondo, who is now the senior national team manager, was probably the oldest member on board in 1985, a side that was captained by Chipo Tsunga.
That fine side also included Gladys Murisa — mother to football legend Stewart, Chioniso Ariferi, Ronica Marondera, Raresi John, Jane Makoni, Memory Mandirahwe and Ebboh Mlambo.
“Despite earning very little and sometimes nothing at all, the passion was visible, there was so much dedication, discipline and maturity within the players.
“The players had a rare connection, camp felt like a family and they would be there for each other which is why discipline was never an issue,” a nostalgic Dondo said.
With sponsorship being a huge challenge since back then, the pioneer teams used to strike deals with the municipality whereby they would be offered space at local bars and other facilities to run some soup kitchens.
Clubs would cook and sell sadza and other foodstuffs to keep their teams afloat.
It is from these initiatives that other well-wishers would come on board and donate to the clubs.
Even during local games and tournaments, players took turns to prepare their own meals.
Ex-radio and television personality, Alice Mutema, who was the Zimbabwe Netball Association boss from 1996 to 2002, after taking over the reigns from Chirwa, also shared memories of the yesteryear league.
She said netball has always survived the sponsorship challenges that have always existed since back then.
“We had huge sponsorship challenges, but because of the passion that we had together as a team, we went out of our way looking for sponsors.
“We were in it for nothing else besides passion and the zeal to see the sport gain popularity and I am glad that even my successors are doing their best.
“However, sometimes I feel sad because, during that time, we had to make do with what was available, but our desire was to have a visible netball with consistent and adequate sponsorship.”
Mutema said the administration would motivate and encourage its players despite the little or nothing that they had in their coffers.
For some international training programmes, Mutema recalls that members of the association would contribute for their representative to go.
She recalls a programme that she attended in South Africa and was almost chucked off owing to debts that ZINA owed to the continental netball body.
“I stood up and told them that in Zimbabwe we play for passion and that I had forked out of my pocket to cover for travel and accommodation so if they wanted to boot us out then it was fine.
“Someone from among the top brass stood up and said ‘it is rare to find such passion’ and he pulled out a lot of dollars from his pocket and handed it over to me.
“It was a lot and I used it to clear what we owed and cover my travel expenses back home, that is the level of passion we had.
“We wanted self-sufficient clubs, but sadly it could not happen, and to date, some clubs continue to struggle, which is not what we want for the ladies.”
Zimbabwe Gems head coach Lloyd Makunde, who has been in the sport since the early 1990s, still remembers the passionate supporters who used to fill the Stodart Netball Complex in Mbare.
“I used to come for every tournament although my favourite was the Crystal Candy, I was already in netball by then.
“I still recall the passionate fans who came for the games, netball felt like a family outing,” Makunde said.
