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Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter

FORMER Zimbabwe Women’s Football League chairperson Mavis Gumbo has described veteran women’s football administrator Cecilia Malunga, who passed on last week, as a selfless leader dedicated to the development of underprivileged girls.

Malunga will be buried in Bulawayo on Tuesday.

She served as Gumbo’s vice chairperson from 2011 to 2014, during an era that was marked by women’s football revival.

Malunga worked hand in hand with Gumbo, who was still new in women’s football administration, and the national team, the Mighty Warriors, managed to win the COSAFA Championships for the first time on home soil.

The Mighty Warriors qualified for tournaments such as Africa Games and participated in high-profile training camps in Europe and South America.

Malunga accompanied the team on some of the trips as the head of the delegation and was a motherly figure among the players.

“It was with a great sense of shock and sorrow that I learned about the passing on of Mrs. Cecilia Malunga. She was my deputy when I was the chairperson of the Women’s Soccer League.

“Cecilia was not just an ordinary football administrator, she was a rare breed, a selfless and dedicated administrator who gave her all for the girl child in particular and Zimbabwean football in general,” said Gumbo.

“To me, she was more than just a deputy, she was a mother and a sister.

She embodied the same spirit to those who worked with her, be it players, coaches, referees, or administrators.

“Cecilia’s death leaves a huge gap in knowledge and her vision of making Zimbabwe a dominant force in women’s football.

“We take solace though in the rich legacy she has left for us,” said Gumbo in her tribute.