Sports Correspondent -Zimbabwe’s football community gathered at Barbourfields Stadium on Monday to honour four Highlanders FC members who died in a road crash in Mbembesi. Zimbabwe Football Association president Nqobile Magwizi said the pain was being felt across the whole sport.

At a joint memorial service for Colonel Kenneth Mhlophe, Nkani Khoza, Sifiso Siziba and Mbalenhle Sibanda, Magwizi said clubs, fans and officials from across the country had come together in mourning.

“We are here today with heavy hearts,” he said. “Barbourfields has always been a place of noise, pride and celebration. But today this stadium carries a different feeling. It carries deep sorrow.”

Speaking for the ZIFA Executive Committee, staff and the broader football family, Magwizi sent condolences to the families, to Highlanders and to the people of Bulawayo.

“We mourn with you. We grieve with you. And we stand with you,” he said.

He also thanked President Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa and government for granting State-Assisted Funerals to the four, calling it proper recognition for people who had dedicated their lives to service.

“It shows that when you serve football you serve your community, and when you serve your community you serve the nation,” he said.

Magwizi said the tragedy had shown how football can rise above rivalries.

“We have watched fans from different teams set aside their differences. We have seen administrators, ex-players, current players, sponsors, government leaders and ordinary Zimbabweans come together for one reason, to support Highlanders during its darkest time.

“That is what football is really about. That is the Zimbabwe we want to see.”

He paid individual tribute to each of the deceased. Colonel Mhlophe, he said, was “a man of discipline, integrity and total commitment” whose work went beyond Highlanders to include serving as Head of Delegation for the Warriors.

“So many of our national team’s achievements were built by people working quietly in the background, and Colonel Mhlophe was one of them. Zimbabwe football recognizes his huge contribution,” he said.

Siziba, Highlanders’ vice-chairman and Warriors security officer, was praised for “commitment, professionalism and trustworthiness” in his role with the national team. Khoza was remembered for bringing “honesty, accountability and strong leadership” to the club’s finances.

Magwizi also honoured life member and loyal supporter Mbalenhle Sibanda, saying supporters remain the soul of the game.

“Fans are the heartbeat of football. Without them there is no atmosphere. Without them there is no motivation. Today we celebrate her loyalty, her passion and her love for the game.”

Looking at the legacy left by the four, the ZIFA president said their influence would outlive them.

“A person’s worth is not measured by how many years they lived. It is measured by the lives they touched. These four touched many lives. They gave freely. They served with dedication. And they leave a legacy that will last.”

He urged the families and Highlanders to lean on the support around them.

“You are not alone on this path. The Zimbabwe Football Association is with you. The football family is with you. The people of Zimbabwe are with you.”

Magwizi called on everyone in football to remember the four by building more unity, kindness and integrity in the game.

“If there is one lesson from this tragedy, it is that life is fragile, unity is strong, and service creates a legacy that continues long after we are gone,” he said.