Boss Panjap on the ball
Stephen Chadenga
Humble, soft-hearted and down to earth but with a big heart for grassroot football and community development best describes local entrepreneur and soccer enthusiast Brighton “Panjap” Ushendibaba.
Boss Panjap as Ushendibaba is well known among peers and those in his circles last week breathed life into the Midlands football community after he made generous contributions to Shurugwi FC.
Shurugwi Football Club was promoted to the Central Region Soccer League Division One after an impressive season in the Midlands Province Division 2A where they finished at the top of the table with 60 points from 28 matches, winning 18, drawing six and losing only four.
Boss Panjap was not the only special guest as the mining town boys ball kickers were being crowned, there was Midlands Miners4ED chairman and philanthropist of the moment, Chris Mahara, Cde Chamu, Big Tich, Nick Gara and of course Zanu PF Shurugwi parliamentarian, Cde Mpasi. They all made big contributions to Shurugwi FC and they deserve special writings of their own.
But what made Boss Panjap special on the day Shurugwi FC was crowned is that he travelled all the way from Harare, left his busy schedule as Panjap Chief Executive, ZIFA board member and other commitments that could have made his pocket to be with the Shurugwi community at Makusha Grounds to witness Shurugwi FC team bringing pride to the gold mining town.
The affable businessman donated two soccer kits and US$2000 to Shurugwi FC and another kit to Chiponjeka which plays in Division 2A. Not that he could not have done more but this gesture, according to him was the beginning of support for a team that has potential to bring Premiership delight to the football starved Shurugwi community.
“We want to see the team shine and we want to make sure the toilets and changing rooms here are up to standard,” said Ushendibaba, a ZIFA board member who has been entrusted to oversee infrastructure development.
As the Shurugwi community left the grounds of Makusha they could only remember a man with a big heart for grassroots football development, youth development, women development not in the football fraternity but in all facets of life as envisioned in President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030 for an upper middle class income for all.
As Sir Wicknell Chivhayo once said in his philanthropic work, we can only empower each other without waiting for outsiders. And this is what Boss Brighton Panjap Ushendibaba just did to Shurugwi FC and the Shurugwi community.