×
NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

Big send-off set for Adam

Sport
THE late former Warriors and Highlanders striker Adam “Adamski” Ndlovu will be buried at Lady Stanley Cemetery in Bulawayo on Saturday in what promises to be a big send-off.

THE late former Warriors and Highlanders striker Adam “Adamski” Ndlovu will be buried at Lady Stanley Cemetery in Bulawayo on Saturday in what promises to be a big send-off. Report by Fortune Mbele/Nduduzo Tshuma

Madinda, his elder brother and family spokesperson, yesterday confirmed the burial venue and said the programme would begin tomorrow with residents of Bulawayo bidding farewell to the late Chicken Inn FC head coach when his body would be driven around the city.

Adam’s younger brother Peter, who will be attending the burial, yesterday underwent a three-hour-long operation on both legs and Madinda said he was not in danger.

Sources told NewsDay Sport that Mines and Mining Development minister Obert Mpofu visited Peter at Mater Dei Hospital on Tuesday evening and pledged to settle the soccer legend’s medical bills.

Madinda said: “I can confirm the first part that the minister visited him, but cannot confirm the second part because it was only the two of them (Peter and Mpofu) in the room, but I will find out.”

Madinda did not rule out chances that Adam’s body could also be flown to Harare as the events leading to his burial unfold so that fans in the capital could also get a chance to bid him farewell.

“He will be buried on Saturday at Lady Stanley, but the programme begins on Friday (tomorrow) where his body will be taken from Nyaradzo Funeral Parlour, pass through the MAP (Madinda, Adam and Peter) offices to Chicken Inn headquarters and then to Luveve Stadium, the home ground of Chicken Inn, and then back to Nyaradzo,” Madinda said.

He apologised to Highlanders fans as the body would not be taken to Barbourfields Stadium, which is undergoing a facelift in preparation for the 2013 season.

On Saturday a big service will be held at the Amphitheatre in the morning before the body is paraded around Adam’s boyhood suburb Makokoba and pass by Barbourfields before proceeding to his final resting place at Lady Stanley.

Players from the Dream Team, Chicken Inn, Highlanders, current Warriors and coaches donning their respective kits will be jogging alongside the coffin of the legend as it is paraded through the city.

“Saturday will be high-profile as the high offices will be coming down and we will be having a speech from a government official, the Vice-President or Prime Minister, depending on who the government will send since you know that there has been talk of him (Adam) being accorded hero status,” Madinda said.

Politicians will speak at the Amphitheatre while the family will have the last speeches at the graveside.

Madinda took time to speak about his late brother whom he described as a very humble person.

“History speaks for itself on Adam. He was very open with his life, a very easy person to talk to. He had changed his life when he took up coaching and was not shy to seek advice. He had got to a stage that he had got himself near to God. He was a born-again Christian and had turned around his life,” Madinda said.

He said some of their sisters had arrived in the country from abroad while others would be flying in today. Madinda said he would not go into detail about Adam’s family life save to say he only knew about the legend’s three children, two in South Africa and one in the United Kingdom.

On Peter, Madinda said: “Peter is back with us again and he is talking. What is left for him is to heal from the operation. We want him to attend the burial. Like any other human being, when we informed him that his brother had passed away, there was a degree of pain and temperatures going up.

“He took it very hard, but it was done professionally. He was psyched up before we broke the news to him and then he saw his mother and he was fine,” Madinda said.

Madinda said Peter would be attending the burial of his brother in a wheelchair.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters’ Association president Eddie Nyatanga said two buses which would ferry supporters would leave the capital tomorrow at 3pm. The two coaches have been provided by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.

Related Topics