Published by the government of Zimbabwe
7 November 2009
opinion
Harare — I WAS a mere Grade Three pupil, stuck in my world of innocence out there in the beautiful goldfields of my lovely hometown Chakari, when Shackman Tauro was honoured for his superb goal-scoring instincts by being voted Zimbabwe's Soccer Star of The Year.
That was in 1979.
CAPS United had just shaken the domestic football scene by becoming national champions, Zimbabwe was on the verge of attaining its independence and, soon, the country would be back into the international football family.
The world, too, was in union.
The United States and China established full diplomatic relations, the Bee Gees, Donna Summer, ABBA, Rod Stewart and Earth, Wind and Fire pooled their talents to sing for Unicef in New York, and Pope John Paul II became the first Pope to visit a Communist country.
Michael Jackson released his first smash hit solo album, Off The Wall, and it sold seven million copies in the United States alone and the world got a taste of the genius of a recording artist who was about to dominate the industry. Even the Sahara Desert, one of the hottest places on earth, experienced snow for about 30 minutes.
All this didn't matter much to us, out there in the compounds of Chakari, where our little world revolved around a day at school and a daily football contest at the end of that boring time spent looking at a blackboard and listening to a teacher.
Football was our life, the game that gave us an imaginary island, which provided us with a home to escape the complications of the tough life in the mining compounds and the challenges that came with homework.
In football we found the joy of success, the pleasure that came with beating our opponents, the relief that came with knowing that we were better than them, the values of unity as a team and, crucially at that tender age, the freedom that came with controlling our destiny.
In the game we found love, the passion to play for a particular team, the realisation that our combined efforts were far better than the special individual talents of each one of us and the values of the spirit of camaraderie.
So we assumed that we were the prominent players of that era and Solomon Banda became David Mwanza, Samuel Mwale became George Shaya, Teddy Nyamwela became Victor Mapanda, Aleck Chirwa became Chita Antonio and Orirando Manwere became Tendai Chieza.
Noone, in our team, called himself Shackman Tauro.
The reason was that we all believed -- in the innocence of our youth -- that the super striker, affectionately known as Chinyaride or Bere, was too good that his talents could not be abused by a being equated to a bunch of kids playing street football at a mine.
During the spectacular emergence of CAPS United, its brave challenge to the established order in 1979 and its crowning as the best team - at a time when hope was a common denominator in the conscience of our nation - the name Shackman Tauro was special.
And, yes, he was.
For at the age of just 14, he had been fast-tracked into the CAPS United first-team and, in his first game, fired home a memorable hattrick that heralded his arrival on the big scene.
In June this year, at the age of 49, Shacky Tauro died.
THE NEW CAPS UNITED GUNSLINGER
Shackman Tauro spent his entire career at CAPS United and he became as much a legend at the club as he was for the country that he served with distinction.
He was the greatest Zimbabwean goal-scorer to grace our football fields in the era of our independent homeland, as good a striker as they will ever come, and a tower of strength who delivered for those who believed in him.
There have been a number of pretenders to his throne over the years but, as is usually the case, time always proves that they were not cut from the genuine material, which makes great centre-forwards, which produced Mr Goals.
Form, which is temporary, can give them a place in the spotlight for a few months, or even a year, but class, which is permanent, always deserts them and we soon see the difference between them and the legend called Mr Goals.
On Sunday, I was at Rufaro for the Cosafa Senior Challenge Cup final between my beloved Warriors and their bitter rivals Zambia and, having been given the job of Master of Ceremony on the big day, took a vantage point seat close to the Warriors' bench.
Away from the VVIP Enclosure, where the drinks and the jokes flow now and again, and closer to the drama that unfolds at the bench as the instructions are barked now and again, I was able to follow the game with a different view.
What I saw made a big impression on my mind.
I might be wrong, and being the human being that I am, that can be expected.
But there was something special about the way that the big boy, leading the Warriors' attack, was giving a new dimension to the team that I had followed and supported throughout the Cosafa showcase.
I had not seen much of him in the first game against Mauritius, when he limped off after that unfortunate injury, and now I could see that he was giving a special cutting edge to the attack with his pace and strength.
Then, it happened.
With the Warriors trailing their opponents 0-1 and the stadium having plunged into silence, the big centre forward in the golden shirt somehow beat his marker for pace to squeeze his frame between the defender and the goalkeeper.
Suddenly he had the ball at his feet, everything having happened in a flash thanks to his searing pace, and a touch swept him to his right and opened a window of hope not only for him alone but for his entire nation.
Then, in just one movement, the ball was poked home -- using his weaker right foot -- and the Warriors had equalised and Rufaro was in delirium.
It wasn't an easy goal given that he first needed to squeeze himself into position, surprise both the defender and the goalkeeper, believe that he could carve a chance from nothing, hold off the defender, beat the goalkeeper and then drill the ball home with his weaker right foot.
But Nyasha Mushekwi got it right, at the right moment, and breathed life into the lungs of his fellow Warriors and hope into the hearts of his fellow countrymen and women.
Moments later a ball was swung in from the right and Mushekwi rose highest and planted a header, as firm as they come, into the far corner and the Warriors had suddenly taken the lead.
In less than 45 minutes, against probably the best team in the tournament, the big CAPS United striker -- still not fully fit and coming from injury -- had scored just one goal short of the leading striker in the tournament who had played four games. And when he was involved in the production team that made the third goal for Cuthbert Malajila in added time of the first half, delicately pushing the ball into the path of his strike partner, Mushekwi had done his part in a big way.
The Zambian coach had studied videos of the Warriors before their showdown in the final but, unfortunately for him, he had not seen the impact of the big centre forward who had not featured in those games because of injury. Such was Mushekwi's devastating impact that the Zambian coach was forced to make a substitution, during that first half, to try and counter the effect of the big Zimbabwean striker.
As I watched Mushekwi turn on the style in that first half, I began to wonder whether we have just found the heir to the throne left by the legend called Shackman Tauro.
It's too early to judge, I understand, but there is something special about this striker that tells me he is travelling on the same journey that ends up with greatness.
The pace is incredible, for a big man of his stature, the accuracy is unbelievable, the strength is awesome and his positioning, inside that penalty area, is just the kind of stuff that makes great centre forwards.
Refreshingly he is a big-game player, too, and scored twice, in the first league game against Dynamos this season which CAPS United won 2-0, and then stroked home the equaliser, in the reverse fixture, against his team's biggest rivals. In two Harare Derby matches this season, he scored all three CAPS United goals.
He is now the leading goal-scorer in the domestic Premiership and not only the favourite to win the Golden Boot but, on the back of what has happened of late, probably just the favourite to also win the Golden Ball that goes to the Soccer Star of the Year.
At 22, age is still on his side, and -- unlike some of the other players we know -- he has his feet firmly on the ground and his focus is spot-on.
The Mystery Of The Number 23
Maybe the Cosafa Senior Challenge Cup was always meant to be won by the Warriors -- thanks to the magic of the number 23 -- and its mysterious links to sport in general and the national team's fortunes in particular.
Mushekwi wears the Number 12 jersey for the Warriors and, those who follow this team know that it's a special shirt that used to be worn by a certain genius called Peter Ndlovu.
Those who wear the Number 12 jersey for the Warriors have to deliver, in the same way that those who wear the Number 7 jersey at Manchester United have to play a special role for the team.
Well, there is something that fascinates me about numbers and how they seem to tell a secret story.
ONE OF THOSE NUMBERS IS 23.
It took the Warriors 23 years -- after independence - for them to qualify for their maiden Nations Cup finals.
Well, let's take, for instance, the identity of the following player -- MUSHEKWI, CAPS UTD, WARRIORS.
If we add the letters in his surname, the club that he plays for and the name of his national team, we get the magical number 23.
Now, let's try this on the legendary forward Tauro, the man who had the big boots that Mushekwi is trying to fit -- SHACKMAN TAURO, CAPS UNITED.
Let's count the number of letters in that golden name and club he played for and we get the magical number 23.
Shacky died at a Harare hospital on June 17 2009, just 11 days, short of his 50th birthday. His death came on 17/06, whose addition (17 plus 6) features the magical number 23, and, interestingly the sum of the characters of his name, SHACKY TAURO, add up to the 11 days where he fell short of his 50th birthday.
THE WARRIORS AND THE NUMBER 23 ENIGMA
l The first recorded national top-flight football league championship in Zimbabwe was in 1962, which was won by a team called Bulawayo Rovers. The national team, the Warriors, won its first silverware in 1985 when they lifted the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup on home soil. TWENTY-THREE years had passed.
l The captain of that Warriors' team was a giant defender called Misheck "Scania" Chidzambwa. THERE ARE TWENTY-THREE LETTERS THAT MAKE HIS NAME, INCLUDING HIS NICKNAME. Ironically, Chidzambwa would win the second piece of silverware for his nation -- the Cosafa Castle Cup -- this time as national coach.
l Misheck's elder brother, Sunday, also carved his name into the history books of Zimbabwe football when he became the first coach to lead the Warriors to the Nations Cup finals. Add the characters that make the names of the two brothers -- MISHECK, SUNDAY CHIDZAMBWA -- and you will get the number 23.
l The Warriors beat Kenya 2-0 in the Cecafa Cup final at Rufaro in 1985 to win their first major silverware. Add the characters that make the names of the two Zimbabwean goal-scorers that afternoon -- SHACKY TAURO, GIFT M'PARIWA -- and you will get the number 23. Both players are late.
l My little boy Kalusha, now in Grade Four, can easily add up the numbers of the figures that make up the year 1985, when the Warriors won their maiden tournament, the Cecafa Cup and, one plus nine plus eight plus five equals 23.
l The Warriors battled hard and long, coming so close yet so far on a number of occasions, in their quest to qualify for the Nations Cup finals but not even the recruitment of some of the best coaches in the world, including Reinhard Fabisch, could take them there. Then, in 2003, the Warriors finally came of age and booked their place at the Nations Cup finals. Add (2 + 0 + 0 + 3) and you get the number 23.
l When Sunday Chidzambwa and his Warriors finally ended Zimbabwe's lengthy wait for a place at the Nations Cup finals, through their success story in 2003, TWENTY-THREE years had passed since independence, with the national team trying and failing to get that priceless ticket.
l The Warriors completed their campaign on a Saturday and had to wait for the game, the following day, between Sierra Leone and Gabon, hoping that the latter would avoid defeat to enable Zimbabwe to qualify as the best of the runners-up in all groups. Gabon, playing just for their national pride, defeated Sierra Leone 2-0 and the Warriors were on their way to their first Nations Cup finals in Tunisia. Add the characters in GABON TWO, SIERRA LEONE ZERO and you will get the magical number 23.
l The two major figures during the Warriors' successful campaign in ending 23 years of waiting for a place at the Nations Cup finals were the head coach Chidzambwa, then known as SUNDAY MARIMO, and his inspirational skipper PETER NDLOVU. Add the number of characters in the names of Sunday Marimo and Peter Ndlovu and you get the combined magical number of 23.
l There have been 23 domestic football seasons, from the time Zimbabwe hosted and won the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup in 1985, to the time the nation also hosted and won the Cosafa Senior Challenge Cup this year. The 1999/2000 domestic season was turned into one, in an experiment with the August-May calendar, which gives us a total of 23 seasons since we hosted and won the Cecafa Cup.
l The four principal figures behind the Warriors' triumph in the 2009 Cosafa Senior Challenge Cup were head coach SUNDAY (Chidzambwa), assistant coach JOEY (Antipas), goalkeepers' coach EMMANUEL (Nyahuma) and team doctor EDDIE (Chagonda). Add the number of letters in their first names and you get a combined figure of 23.
l The Warriors' triumph at Rufaro on Sunday came on 1 November 2009 or, in other terms, on 01/11/2009. If you add the figures of that date (1 + 11 +2 + 0 + 0 + 9) you also get the magical figure of 23.
THE NUMBER 23 AND SPORT
Basketball legend Michael Jordan used jersey number 23 when he was at the Chicago Bulls and turned himself into the greatest star the game had ever seen while leading his team to the domination of the National Basketball League.
David Beckham, inspired by Jordan, also used the number 23 as his shirt number when he arrived at Real Madrid from Manchester United and found out that his favourite number 7 was reserved for Madrid golden boy Raul.
Beckham, the golden boy of English football, still uses the number 23 at Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer in the United States.
Don Mattingly of the New York Yankees wore number 23 and the most successful baseball franchise in American history retired the number in 1997. The Yankees relocated to the Yankee Stadium in 1923.
Manchester City have not assigned the number 23 to any player since 2003 as a mark of respect for Marc-Vivien Foé, the Cameroon star who collapsed and died while playing for his country at the Fifa Confederations Cup on June 26, 2003.
Foe wore jersey number 23 at Manchester City.
Belgian club, Brugge KV, have also done the same as a mark of respect for their player, François Sterchele, who died on May 8, 2008, in a car accident.
His shirt number was 23.
THE NUMBER 23 IN LIFE
The late writer Robert Anton Wilson wrote about the 23 Enigma, in his article Fortean Times, and talks at length about the mystery of this number.
"I first heard of the 23 Enigma from William S Burroughs, author of Naked Lunch, Nova Express, etc," wrote Wilson.
"According to Burroughs, he had known a certain Captain Clark, around 1960 in Tangier, who once bragged that he had been sailing 23 years without an accident.
"That very day, Clark's ship had an accident that killed him and everybody else aboard. Furthermore, while Burroughs was thinking about this crude example of the irony of the gods that evening, a bulletin on the radio announced the crash of an airliner in Florida, United States.
"The pilot was called Captain Clark and the crashed jetliner was Flight 23."
l Well, it gets even deeper when one realises that in conception, both parents each contribute 23 chromosomes to the foetus and it takes 23 seconds for blood to circulate through the human body.
l Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times by the assassins.
l Hitler joined a secret society in 1923. He killed himself in April, 1945 (4 + 1 + 9 + 4 + 5 = 23).
l The average smoker inhales 23 cigarettes a day.
l There are exactly 23 characters, numbers and letters, on the face of all United States coins
l Every 23rd wave crashing onto a beach averages twice the size of the normal wave that came before it.
l On the evening of July 17, 1996, a Boeing 747 TWA Flight 800 exploded in mid-air off Long Island, shortly after take-off from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, and 230 people were killed. The explosion, which is believed to have brought down the passenger jet, occurred in seats 23J and 23K.
l Shakespeare was 46 years old (2 x 23) when the King James Bible was published. Psalm 46 (2 x23) has its 46th word as "shake" and the 46th word, read back from the end, is "spear". Together they form the word Shakespeare.
l The articles of Impeachment, used against Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton are under Article 2, Section 3 of the American constitution.
l The World Trade Centre Twin Towers in New York were destroyed on September 11th 2001, known otherwise as 9/11, and add up the numbers that make 9/11/2001 (9 + 11 + 2 + 0 + 0 + 1) and you get the number 23.
l The Titanic sank on the morning of 15 April 1912 and add the numbers 15/04/1912 (1 + 5 + 0 + 4 + 1 + 9 + 1 + 2) and you get the number 23.
l The Hiroshima Nuclear Bomb was dropped on 6th August 1945 and add the numbers 06/08/1945 (6 + 8 + 1 + 9 + 4 minus 5) and you get 23.
On 11 December 1941, the United States declared war on Germany. Add the numbers (11 + 12) and the answer is 23.
BEWARE OF THE MYSTERY OF 23
Twenty three years ago Dynamos won the league championship -- for the sixth time in seven years after independence -- after beating the challenge of CAPS United and Zimbabwe Saints.
DeMbare captured an impressive haul of 41 out of 52 points, in a two-point system, and Makepekepe finished second with 33 points, the same as Chikwata.
That year a certain Moses Chunga was controversially robbed of his award as the Soccer Star of the Year, which went to the late Mercedes Sibanda, because of questions over his discipline.
Now, will it happen that, 23 years down the line, Dynamos also captures the league championship with CAPS United finishing second.
Or will Chunga have the last laugh, exactly 23 years after domestic football gave him a raw deal, and inspire his Gunners to greatness?
What about Mushekwi and his red-hot CAPS United dark horses?
Count the number of letters that make his identity, MUSHEKWI, CAPS UTD, WARRIORS and you will get the magical number 23 and all the greatness associated with it.
It's chilling, isn't it because the last time the Green Machine had such a lethal striker, in their ranks, his identity -- SHACKMAN TAURO, CAPS UNITED - also had a combined sum of letters that gave us the number 23.
In 1979, he inspired them to the Promised Land.
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