BY ADRIAN MWANZA –
WELL over K200, 000 was on Saturday night raised from the Mufulira Wanderers fundraising dinner in Lusaka attended aby among other club greats Kalusha Bwalya and Dickson Makwaza.
And the Adidas leather football boot that former Mufulira Wanderers captain Ackim Musenge wore in the 1974 historic the Africa Cup final was auctioned for K42, 000 while an Olympics blazer former club coach Mwakwaza wore to the 1976 Montreal Olympic went for K40, 000.
At colourful dinner organised by the club’s fans led by George Kaunda), fans sympathisers of Zambia’s most decorated club pledged and gave cash towards the cause of the club which is wallowing in premier division relegation waters.
The club’s biggest product Kalusha Bwalya said the club had a special place in Zambian football history and called on the executive to start recognising legends as a way of raising the club profile.
“This is a great initiative, Mighty is a big side and it will be important that legends like Ba Kashimoto, is given special place at the stadium,” Kalusha said after leading people into singing a home fans’ favourite song “Ngawapata ba Mighty’ (those who hate Mighty).
Makwaza emphasised on the need for everyone to play their part in helping the club as the solution to the club’s woos lay with no one but them.
“It is everyone’s responsibility to help the team. No one will come from outside to help. Whether you are a fan, a former player or anyone, the solution lay with you.
“Ba ‘Sir Zoom’ (Samuel Ndhlovu) would always tell us we were the solution whenever were down in a game and we went to him for a solution, and it worked,” he said.
The function was also attended by Transport and Communication Minister Brian Mushimba, whose Kankoyo constituency in in Mufulira as well his Kantashi counterpart Anthony Mumba.
Mushimba called for intensified support to the team so it can get back to the top and not continually fight relegation was the case in recent years.
He went on to pledged K25, 000 to the club before buying the 1976 Olympics blazer while Mumba pledged K20, 000 with Kalusha saying “since naleteya (I was playing) number 11, I will pledge K11, 000”.
Several others notables came on to pledge including FAZ president Andrew Kamanga as well as his General Secretary Ponga Liwewe we who donated on behalf of Liwewe family.
Former FAZ Committee Member Pivoty Simwanza handed the organiser’s US$500 cash after glorifying his childhood side Kabwe Warriors saying it also had a special place in Zambian football history.
Kamanga called on other clubs to emulate Wanderers but called on the organisers to also ensure that they took the same event to the Copperbelt were the heart of the team was.
“This team has produced the highest number of national team captains in the likes of Kalusha Bwalya and Dickson Makwaza hence the need to see to it that the team bounces back,” he said.
Several other corporates made pledged with Zamtel chipping in with K10, 000, a figure they promised to increase should club fortunes improve.
Then came ULG Limited who pledged a staggering K50, 000 and also announced that it will next year begin sponsoring the team kit.
The fundraiser was also attended by veterans Abraham Nkole, Patrick Nkole, Dickson Makwaza, Ackim Musenge, Brines Mulenga, Fred Kashimoto, Willy Mukwasa, Samson Mwila, Baron Mungoma, Alick Tembo and Michael Bwalya.