By Sheldon Hakata
THE English Premiership has its Martin Tyler, Peter Drury, Jon Champion and Conor McNamara, among others, whose voices keep millions of soccer fans glued to their TV screens every week. Zimbabwe had its own legendary soccer commentator in the form of Evans Lesley Mambara, now late. Born on September 14, 1962 in rural Gutu, Masvingo Province, Mambara was the second born in a family of five — three girls and two boys. Mambara grew up in Zambia where his father was a lecturer at the University of Zambia and his mother a nurse.
The young Evans attended Kasama Primary School in Zambia’s Northern Province before enrolling at Kalonga Secondary School, Kabwe, for his high school education. According to his younger brother, Adiel, now based in the UK, the late Evans always wanted to be a football commentator from a tender age. It also happened that Zambia was home to Dennis Liwewe, considered one of Africa’s iconic football commentators. The young Evans met his idol Liwewe during a Career Day at Kalonga Secondary School. It was a dream come true for the aspiring commentator who resolved to become Africa’s best football commentator ever.
The Mambaras retraced their footsteps back to Zimbabwe at independence in 1980. Back home, Mambara went to Zimuto Mission before studying for a Diploma in Journalism at the Harare Polytechnic. On graduating, Mambara joined the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) as a second lieutenant attached to the Public Relations Department. He later quit the army to join beer brewer Rufaro Marketing as its public relations offi cer, eventually being promoted to public relations manager, a post he held until his death in 1999. For three years, Mambara was a parttime football commentator on the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC).
During that time he accompanied the Zimbabwe national team on their away matches throughout Africa. Army team Black Rhinos also took him on board on their Africa Safari which took them to such countries as Swaziland, Zambia and Senegal.
A lifelong supporter of the Warriors, Mambara’s fi rst trip outside Zimbabwe on national duty was going behind the mic for the Warriors-Pharaohs match in Cairo. The year was 1983 and this writer vividly remembers Mambara screaming: “We are not in Rufaro Stadium, but in Cairo-o-o-o-o. We are trying and trying, but we are down, one nothing.
David Mwanza ‘Chikwama’ finds Moses Chunga in the centre circle, let’s go Mozeeeeee -eeeeeee, now they take it away . . .” One of the highlights of his brief but illustrious career was being honoured as the country’s most popular commentator in February 1988.
In May of the same year, Mambara was invited by the Voice of Kenya to coach his Kenyan counterparts on the art of soccer commentary. It has been 25 years since Mambara passed on, but this writer still hears that throaty voice, which roared out of thousands of radio speakers around the country, keeping fans on the edges of their seats. Mambara’s voice was like a drug to millions of soccer fans’ countrywide who became addicted to it.
A wordsmith par excellence, Mambara’s commentaries transformed the not-so-popular Radio One, now Classic 263, into the nation’s preferred station on Sunday afternoons. His rasping, authoritative voice and endless passion for the beautiful game enthralled fans — so much so that they couldn’t help falling in love with him. Soccer fans had the rare chance of experiencing the charged atmosphere in Rufaro Stadium, Barbourfields Stadium or the giant National Sports Stadium from the comfort of their homes with Farai Mungazi anchoring the studio desk and Evans Mambara doing his thing from the commentary box. “The goalkeeper, John Sibanda, rolls the ball to Misheck Sibanda, no relationship whatsoever, to Melusi Nkiwane, to Josphat Humbasha, Ephraim Chawanda (the Rock of Gibraltar), the captain at club and national level, to Jimmy Phiri, turns round 360 degrees in the centre circle to McKop, to Machingura in that order! Opens fire-e-e and into the palms of goalkeeper Japhet ‘Short Cat’ M’parutsa. Over to you Farai.” That was vintage Mambara.
In his capacity as match analyst, Farai Mungazi, the would chip in: “Yes, Evans, Saints are always a joy to watch with their methodical build-up from the back. I like how they knock the ball around, they are giving the huge crowd here their money’s worth at Rufaro Stadium. Back to you Evans!” Fans adored the way Mambara injected a battlefield atmosphere into the beautiful game whenever the Defence Forces teams such as Black Rhinos, Tongogara, Chapungu and, to some extent, Black Mambas locked horns. Who can forget this? “One Commando Barracks, Inkomo Barracks, KGVI, Llewlyn Barracks, the soldiers are down here-eeee. “To Stanley Ndunduma Moscow-www, looking for Maronga Nyangela (the Bomber), he has the support of the overlapping Simon ‘AK’ Mugabe.”
One of this writer’s most memorable games was the one pitting CAPS United against Rhinos which ended in a 3-3 stalemate. “Beaten clean and left standing akimbo, at ease, this is Simon ‘AK’ Mugabe, a soldier by profession, but he cannot stop CAPS United strikers from harassing the Rhinos’ defence. This is Langton Mutimba, Govhenda-aaaa to Jerry Chidawa, the Dzungu man . . . taken away by Clever Muzuva, they call him Guzha, to Stike-ee getting past a man to Friday Phiri Amayenge-eee. It’s a g-o-o-o-o-o-a-l!” Only the inimitable Evans Mambara could pull off that kind of wizardry! Kana kuRufaro kwacho waienderei! Mambara became a brand in his own right to the extent that when ZBC pulled the plug on his services in the mid-1980s there was a public outcry, with every major newspaper covering the story.
The national broadcaster was forced to rehire him. Mambara viewed soccer not just as a sport, but a way of life. And why not? Most of his friends were players or people with close links to football. According to a friend: “Evans was so quiet at times that one would not notice he was there. Once upon a time, while still with the army, he went AWOL for two weeks. Mambara Senior often dropped him off at the entrance to Josiah Magama Tongogara (formerly KGVI) Barracks or in town. The two would then drive back to the family home in Mt Pleasant where the junior Mambara changed into his civilian attire making their way back to town. “They would go to different places in the city, have fun with friends and later don his uniform on his way to the pick-up point.
This truancy finally came to light after he was accosted by his boss at the time, Lieut-Col Gaza, who happened to be a close family friend. Lieutenant-Colonel Gaza immediately reported him to his father.” Recalls Lieut Col Gaza: “Baba ndine urombo, makapiwa zita risiri renyu, Mambara ndeuyu.” (pointing to Evans) (“I am sorry, Sir, you are called Mambara. Evans is the real ‘mambara’). For the benefit of those not familiar with the Shona language, ‘mambara’ is colloquial for a naughty or mischievous person. The ‘naughty one’ died aged only 38 years in 1999 in the UK after a short illness and was laid to rest at Harare’s Warren Hills Cemetery.
Mambara was married to the late Loice Makuzva and is survived by a daughter, Tendai, currently based in the UK. Evans Lesley Mambara, the man who worked so tirelessly to bring the beautiful game right to our doorsteps, certainly gave soccer a new dimension! It was, therefore, no surprise that after each ‘needle’ game, soccer fans could analyse the matches in such detail one was tempted to think they had watched it live.