BY Kevin Mapasure
Caps United president Farai Jere has expressed shock and sadness at the death of one of the team’s icons and former skipper Joe “Kode” Mugabe.
Mugabe lost his battle with cancer in the early hours of yesterday in England where he has lived since 2003.
His death comes just a couple of weeks after the Caps family lost former coach Steve Kwashi.
Kwashi was coach when Mugabe led Caps United to their first league title post Independence in 1996.
Jere said that he had been shocked at the news of Mugabe’s passing, describing the former midfielder as a legend of the club.
“It is with a great sense of shock and sadness that as the Caps United family, we learnt of the passing on of our iconic former captain Joe “Kode’’ Mugabe in Reading, England in the early hours of Sunday 8 August 2021,” Jere said in a statement.
“My heartfelt condolences go to his young brother Innocent, the Mugabe family, Caps United family and the entire Zimbabwean football fraternity at large for yet another huge loss to our game.
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Joe’s death comes when we are still mourning the death of another club legend Steve “The Dude’’ Kwashi, who passed away a few weeks ago and we are deeply saddened to lose these legends whose oceans of football knowledge we could always tap from.
It is also painful that he has passed on just weeks before what would have been his 53rd birthday on September 3”
Jere went on to say Mugabe was an epitome of the club after he played the greater part of his career at Caps.
“If I could sum up Joe Mugabe’s football career in three words, it would be Mr Caps United.
In my life, I have heard and read a lot about most of our ex-players being described as legends, but for Caps United in particular and Zimbabwean football at large, Kode was an icon.
An iconic figure who rose from the dusty streets of Mabvuku and had already shown his huge potential while turning for the Caps United juniors and leading his Churchill High School team.
Joe was a natural leader on and off the field and one of his biggest attributes was courage and commitment.
He was the embodiment of the Caps United culture and a passionate man who hated losing.
Kode bridged the generational gap at Caps United as he ably led a crop of young players such as Cheche Billiat and George Nechironga that came in to fill in the void that had been created by the retirement of other greats such as the late Joel Shambo.
To underline Joe’s commitment and passion for his beloved Caps United, he played an integral part in the formation of the Caps United, UK-based legends which includes the likes of Liberty Masunda, Frank Nyamukuta, Timothy Chirozvani and Tichaona Nyenda.
As Caps United management, we regularly kept in touch with Joe and his team of UK legends and it had always been our fervent hope that he could one day return to Zimbabwe and play another more direct role at the club with which he achieved huge successes and helped maintain the legacy of Cup Kings.
That he won successive Caps United player of the season awards was testimony of what a great midfielder Joe was, his small frame belying the giant that he actually was.
“As we mourn Joe Mugabe, we believe it is also time to celebrate the legacy that he left at Caps United and which the current generation could emulate.
“Joe was simply a Hall of Fame for Caps United.”
Apart from Caps United Mugabe played for Sporting Lions where he was player coach before he relocated to the UK.
Follow Kevin on Twitter @kevinmapasure
