Former Coventry City and Sheffield United striker Peter Ndlovu is to be inducted into the Zimbabwe Sports Hall of Fame for his outstanding contribution as Warriors captain and for raising the Zimbabwean flag high in the competitive English Premiership.
By Michael Kariati
Ndlovu is the only captain to have taken the Warriors to the Africa Cup of Nations finals in 2004 and 2006 and became the first black Zimbabwean footballer to play in the highly competitive English Premiership after joining Coventry City in 1992.
Although the Sports and Recreation Commission’s business director Daniel Kuwengwa, who is handling the Hall of Fame issue, refused to release the names identified for the second induction, he confirmed that 10 past outstanding sportspersons would be engraved into the Hall of Fame.
“It has been long since we honoured our outstanding sportspersons of the past. We are going to induct 10 sportspersons into the Hall of Fame. We are going to reveal their names in October. Hopefully we are going to do that after every five years,” said Kuwengwa.
Kuwengwa said they have changed their approach to the whole process. Instead of approaching sponsors without the inductees in hand, they have realised that it is easier to get sponsorship when they approach the would-be financiers with the names of the inductees at hand.
However, information obtained by Standardsport is to the effect that Ndlovu is to be honoured alongside the likes of former world number one golfer Nick Price, the tennis pair of Byron and Wayne Black, the late rugby ace Richard Tsimba, as well as former Chevrons captain Andy Flower.
Coincidentally, Richard Tsimba along with young brother Kennedy were inducted into the International Rugby Board’s Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Zimbabwean honour comes well after the international recognition.
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Unfortunately, Kennedy is not eligible for induction into the Zimbabwean Hall of Fame after choosing to turn out for the South African Springboks instead of the Zimbabwe Sables during his playing time.
Kuwengwa said they were diverting from the norm and would instead offer financial rewards for those chosen. “I would like to think that true Hall of Fame inductees should be millionaires. However, we have decided to give them a token of appreciation in the form of money,” said Kuwengwa.
The Zimbabwe Sports Hall of Fame is situated at the National Gallery and a number of former stars including footballer George Shaya, shooter Dave Westerhout, athlete Artwell Mandaza, boxer Langton “Schoolboy” Tinago and the Golden Hockey girls of 1980 were the first inductees in 2005.
The photographs of these icons are pinned on the walls in the Hall of Fame, which is usually flooded with visitors.
He added that this time around, they will have pictures pinned on the walls of the VVIP entrance at the National Sports Stadium and they would be a permanent feature there for everyone to see.
Kuwengwa said they were happy that the Sports Hall of Fame has become an attraction for many people as they were receiving a huge number of visitors. He however said they would want to improve on what was already there by introducing stone carvings of the inductees.
Hall of Fame induction is the highest honour any sportsperson can be accorded either at home or by international bodies.
