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Grace Chingoma-Senior Sports Reporter

SCORES of people turned up for the burial of former Mighty Warriors and Black Rhinos Queens forward Rufaro Machingura, who was laid to rest at Zororo Memorial Park in Chitungwiza yesterday.

The late striker was given a State-assisted funeral, with Doves Holdings also joining in to give the talented forward a befitting send-off.  

Machingura passed on Thursday at her house in Retreat Park, Waterfalls.

She was 30.

She is survived by a four-month baby boy.

Machingura’s brother-in-law Kimmy Mukangairwa said according to the post-mortem, the autopsy report showed that she had developed an internal abscess in the stomach.

The late player had been complaining of side pains and was unwell for some time. She gave birth to a baby boy four months ago, and her sister Rebecca Mukangairwa took care of the baby from birth, as the forward battled to recover from drug addiction.

A number of speakers made a call to female footballers to shun drugs and lead clean lives.

Before her demise, Machingura openly admitted in an interview with The Herald last year that she was caught up in drug and substance abuse although she was hoping to break the addictions and get a football comeback.

Sports Commission acting director-general Sebastian Garikai, Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation official Arthur Mudarikwa, Aces Youth Soccer Academy director and Sports Commission board member Nigel Munyati, Warriors manager Wellington Mpandare, former women’s football chairpersons Susan Chibizhe and Mavis Gumbo, Young Mighty Warriors coaches Langton Giwa and Anne Konje were part of the mourners that joined the female football fraternity,  family and friends during the burial ceremony.  

Black Rhinos midfielder Talent Mandaza, who was the Mighty Warriors skipper when the national women’s team won the COSAFA Championship in 2011 with Machingura scoring the winning goal in the final match against South Africa, and other Mighty Warriors players such as Marjory Nyaumwe, Chido Dzingirai, Rudo Neshamba, Tafadzwa Tsunguro, Samukeliswe Zulu, Eunice Chibanda, Rutendo Makore, Sheila Makoto, Elizabeth Chaparangana and Mavis Chirandu, turned up to pay their last respects.

Munyati, said they started working with Rufaro at a young age when she was part of the Aces Academy together with Chaparangana and Makoto. “When we started our Academy, we wanted to empower the girl child through sport. We wanted to empower the players and I was very happy when she joined Black Rhinos Queens and became a soldier. Let’s learn from what Mafidi did. 

She left a legacy,” said Munyati. Coach Giwa handed the fallen player her first junior national team cap.

“I started working with Rufaro in 2008 when we went to the Zone Six Games in South Africa and we won a gold medal. In 2010, we went with her to Swaziland (Zone Six Games), and again won a gold medal and she was promoted into the senior team.

“She was a disciplined young girl back then but when she started playing for the senior team, she changed and began having discipline issues.

“As a coach, I am saddened that we are burying young players who could still be at their prime. These players are talented but are being misled by non-sporting friends to engage in bad practices,” said Giwa.

Heartbroken Blue Swallows defender Makoto, who was also Machingura’s neighbour, said her friend had a premonition of death and wanted to see her baby Kuku. 

The two found themselves settling next to each other after they purchased stands in Retreat Park with the money they received from the late President Mugabe for winning the COSAFA.

“For three days she would wear a dress and come to my house and say ‘do you know that I am now a mother, I am mai Kuku and I want to see my baby’. We phoned her family who have custody of the baby and unfortunately, she passed on the following morning. I am saddened. Go well my friend, we took good care of each other,” said Makoto.

Correctional Queens goalkeeper Chido Dzingirai said she began playing with Mafidi at the Under-20 level and then the senior team.