The family of the late FC Platinum coach Benjamin Moyo will demand an inquest following the mysterious circumstances under which he died last Friday.
Moyo allegedly drowned in a swimming pool at FC Platinum’s camp in Shurugwi just hours before their game against Shabanie Mine, which was eventually called off.
He was buried on Monday at his rural home in Empandeni Mission, Mangwe District. Philani Mabhena, previously the assistant coach, will take charge of the team in acting capacity as the cash-rich club battle to find a replacement with the likes of Moses Chunga, former head coach, Jairos Tapera and former Shabanie Mine gaffer, John Phiri, all said to be interested. Mabhena’s first game is against Black Mambas at Morris Depot on Saturday.
Family spokesman, Benedict, said they had met after the burial and agreed to engage his former side FC Platinum, his manager Omega Sibanda and the owners of Sungano Motel in Shurugwi-where the incident occured.
“We are heading towards an inquest into his death, definitely. We are satisfied with the result of the post mortem, but we are not happy at all on the circumstances.
“So we will engage Omega (Sibanda), who was his manager, his former employers Mimosa and the motel. We have not heard from the police so far, but we believe in their capabilities and we will not put pressure on them to give us results.
“That process (police investigation) is long, so we will let them do their job, but an inquest, that is definite.
“There are more questions than answers, so will get to the motel and try to find some clues,” Moyo said from Bulawayo yesterday afternoon.
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According to the post mortem, conducted at the United Bulawayo Hospitals on Saturday, Benjamin died of asphyxia.
This is a condition of severe deficient supply of oxygen to the body that arises from being unable to breathe normally. He swallowed a lot of water which then ruptured the veins in the body.
Reports from Shurugwi indicated that Benjamin was discovered by a receptionist who heard him screaming and alerted the team members who failed to resuscitate him. His body was not floating but had sunk to the bottom.
“We all agreed that was the cause of the death, but the circumstances are what we are concerned with now,” said the elder Moyo. Benjamin took over the team from Tapera at the beginning of the season. Tapera, who was “promoted” to the position of development manager, had helped the team to gain promotion into the top flight.
From three games played, Benjamin had won two and lost one, but was constantly under pressure from the team management who had assembled a galaxy of stars to make an immediate impact.
In fact the technical team had been given five games to deliver 12 points or face the chop. Benjamin’s father, Paul told mourners at the burial: “Why do you hire coaches and then put so much pressure on them after just three games.
Why don’t you coach the team yourselves?” Sibanda added: “How can we have some coaches going behind the man on the job and negotiating for the same job?”
But there is no guessing that the Platinum executive, led by president Nathan Shoko and chairman Tadson Zhou, have more than a headache on the way forward, if the emotions showed at the burial are anything to go by.
The entire executive, all the players and some supporters made the trip to Plumtree from Zvishavane to pay their last respects to Benjamin.
