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Bukhosi Mangena Sports Correspondent
ZIFA vice-president Omega Sibanda yesterday described the death of the association’s Bulawayo Province chairman, Washington Chimanda-Sithole, as a loss to the football fraternity as he had devoted himself to serving grassroots development.
Addressing mourners at the burial of Chimanda-Sithole at West Park Cemetery, Sibanda said they were “deeply saddened by his death because it comes at a time when we had not finished mourning another football great Eric Rosen”.

“Chimanda-Sithole’s death was untimely and this loss will affect not only his family, but the whole football community as he had dedicated his time to ensuring that our football development reached greater heights,” said Sibanda.

Zifa Southern Region chairman Musa Mandaza said football development was not going to be the same without Chimanda-Sithole.

“Our football development is the one that suffered the greatest loss because Chimanda-Sithole passed away at a time when his presence was needed the most. As you all know, we are all supposed to embark on a decentralisation programme where sports must be governed down to ward level and we had bestowed all our trust on Chimanda-Sithole to do the job because that is exactly what he was good at,” said Mandaza.

Chimanda-Sithole collapsed and died last Friday afternoon at a city microfinance lending institution.