By a Correspondent
The Bulawayo City Council has offered burial spaces at Lady Stanley Cemetery for three Highlanders Football Club executives and a supporter who died in a tragic road accident last week, as the city continues to rally behind the bereaved families.
A City delegation led by Bulawayo mayor Senator David Coltart, deputy mayor Edwin Ndlovu and Town Clerk Christopher Dube visited Highlanders Football Club and the families of the deceased on Sunday to convey their condolences following the fatal crash along the Harare-Bulawayo Highway on Thursday.
The accident claimed the lives of Highlanders chairman Retired Colonel Kenneth Mhlophe, vice-chairman Sifiso Siziba, executive committee member responsible for finance Nkani Khoza, and club supporter Mbalenhle Sibanda.
In a gesture aimed at honouring the deceased, the council announced that burial spaces had been made available at Lady Stanley Cemetery, one of Bulawayo’s most respected burial grounds. The local authority also pledged financial support of US$1,000 to each affected family to assist with funeral arrangements.
The City further granted the use of Barbourfields Stadium for today’s combined funeral service, allowing the football community and members of the public to pay their final respects to the departed quartet.
Coltart and members of the City delegation signed the book of condolences at the Highlanders clubhouse.
However, while burial spaces were made available for all four victims, family representatives indicated that Sibanda would instead be laid to rest in Filabusi, her home area, where relatives and community members are expected to gather for her final farewell.
The deaths of Mhlophe, Siziba, Khoza and Sibanda sent shockwaves through the football fraternity, with tributes continuing to pour in from across Zimbabwe and beyond. The tragedy has also prompted an outpouring of support for the bereaved families and renewed recognition of the contributions made by the three executives to Highlanders Football Club.
