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Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
FITTINGLY, the funeral service of the late Zimbabwe football legend, Hamid “Muzukuru” Dhana, will today be held at Danny Bismarck, where his career took off.

Dhana died on Sunday at his Braeside home after a long battle with colon cancer.

He will be cremated tomorrow at a private function and the ashes will be put at her mum’s grave at Warren Hills on Sunday.

But the football community will this morning have a chance to bid farewell to one of the finest midfielders to grace the domestic fields.

The community will also celebrate his life at the Arcadia Sports Club, which is next to Danny Bismarck, where Arcadia United play their matches. The funeral service will begin at 10am at Arcadia Sports Club, with family and friends expected to throng the place to pay their respects.

Dhana’s wife Bridgit said today’s service and the Sunday service at Warren Hills, are open to the public.

“We will have a service at Arcadia Sports Ground tomorrow morning (today) and then on Saturday we will have a private cremation and we will put the ashes at his mother’s grave at Warren Hills on Sunday at 1pm. Everyone is welcome,” she said.

The former Dynamos and Black Rhinos midfielder has since been described by some legends as one of the finest footballers to emerge from this country.

Dhana was also a jovial and humble character who would illuminate the Warriors camp with his jokes during his time with the national team. He began his career at Arcadia United and then joined Dynamos.

He crossed over to Black Rhinos where he played alongside the likes of Stanford “Stix” Mutizwa, Stanley “Sinyo” Ndunduma, Japhet Mparutsa, Gift Makoni and Maronga Nyangela.

Dhana won the Super League title with Dynamos in 1982 and went on to win the North Zone Division One championship crown with Rhinos the following year.

In 1984, again with the army side, he won the Super League’s “League and Cup double”.

Former Dynamos, Rhinos and Warriors head coach Shepherd Murape, who brought Dhana to the Glamour Boys and then lured him to the army side, told The Herald this week that he was a special footballer.

“Players like him are so special that it takes another lifetime to produce one like him again,” said Murape.

Long-time Arcadia United fan Funny Mushava said there was no way one could compare today’s midfielders with the likes of Dhana.

“You see, guys like Muzukuru would make the ball ‘talk’. And that body swerve of his was pure magic.

“He could split defences with those amazing passes with his eyes closed,” he said.