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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
THE message was very simple but it spoke to every true supporter of Zimbabwe football.

A son remembering his late father, an icon of domestic football.

“Today, marks 14 years since my dad died,” he posted on his Facebook page on Monday.

“Dearly missed dad, I won’t immortalise you in the stars, because they fade away. I won’t remember you with a poem, for it will be forgotten one day.

“I will just keep you safe in my heart, so that you are with me in every way. I miss you and I love you!”

The message was from Tanaka Shonhayi and, his surname, says it all.

The son of former Warriors and Dynamos skipper, Francis Shonhayi, one of the best centrebacks to grace domestic football fields.

Tanaka is understood to be a medical doctor today.

Last Monday, the clock marked 14 years since that day when Shonhayi died in Cape Town. And, on Monday, the family and close friends quietly remembered the day the ex-footballer died.

“I have played with and against many great players but Shonhayi, to me, was the best defender I have seen,’’ said ex-DeMbare skipper, Memory Mucherahowa.

“Of course, from the other crop of players I have seen, I would put Sunday Chidzambwa ahead of him. But this guy was class.’’

Shonhayi made his name at Dynamos after joining the Harare giants following stints with Gaths Mine and Bata Power.

He turned into one of the best imports in the South African Premiership where he played for Cape Town Spurs and AmaZulu and was, at some point, the highest paid player across the Limpopo.

During that time, he attracted interest from some top European clubs and was even invited for trials in Scotland and Belgium.

Shonhayi was part of the Dream Team that helped redefine the landscape of Zimbabwean football by beating the likes of Egypt, Guinea, South Africa and Cameroon.

“He was very tough on the pitch. He could win tussles both in the air and on the ground but I do not remember ever seeing him getting booked for rough play,’’ said Mucherahowa.

“He was a clean and fair player.

“This is a guy who was extremely talented but he was not the type of person who showed off.

“He was always down-to-earth and you would never see him quarrel with anyone.

“During that time, there were players who really wanted you to feel their presence because of their talent and achievements.

“I could have mentioned some names but I will not. But,Shonhayi was was down-to-earth, always accommodative and easy to approach.’’

Staunch Dynamos supporter Chris” Romario” Musekiwa said Shonhayi was a marvel to watch during his hey days.

“The departed Dynamos and Warriors legend Francis ‘Sandura’ Shonhayi was a tough and unyielding defensive pillar who shone like a beacon for both club and country.

“He was a  natural leader, our tears might have dried but our fond memories of his brilliance will live forever.

“He was defender of very high calibre, in a class of his own. He was welcoming, sociable but stayed humble,” said Musekiwa.

Musekiwa said the late defender deserved national recognition.

“He deserves to be remembered, he fought a great fight during his time as a decorated team-leader-par-excellence, a classy defender he pocketed such greats like Abedi Pele, Hossam Hossain, Titi Camara and Max Maponyane as he starred for the Dream Team,” said Musekiwa.

“I remember in 1992, before the Dream Team’s departure to Egypt for a World Cup qualifier, the Warriors passed through First Street to meet fans and the late Francis Shonhayi took his time to come and see me at Chicken Inn First Street, where I was working as a cashier.

“He posed for some pictures with a couple of fans who had gathered there and promised the Warriors would deliver a good result away to Egypt.

“Even when chips were down, the great Sandura would rally his teammates and encourage them to fight on until the last whistle.

“One such game became a classic – the Africa Day Challenge Cup at Rufaro against CAPS United.

“Dynamos trailed 2-0 at half-time. After the breather Dynamos went on to score four times and win 4-2.

“I suggest one of the bays at Rufaro should be named after the late Francis Shonhayi.”

He was 39 when he succumbed to meningitis and tuberculosis in Cape Town in 2006.

Immediately, a promise was made to induct the former Dynamos and Dream Team skipper in the ZIFA Hall of Fame.

But, more than a dozen years later, the Hall of Fame is still a pipe-dream. Then ZIFA president, Wellington “Shumba” Nyatanga, promised that Shonhayi would be inducted into the Football Hall of Fame.

But successive ZIFA leaders have failed to deliver on the promise to come up with a Hall of Fame.

Cuthbert Dube’s executive had plans to unveil the Hall of Fame, as part of the Golden Jubilee in 2013, but it also suffered a stillbirth due to lack of funds.

Then, the plans were brought up again in 2017 but nothing materialised.

“Shonhayi was a vital cog of the legendary Dream Team which set the football stage alight,’’ Nyatanga said back then.

“Captain Shonhayi was an exemplary leader who never wanted his team to lose. He would stand firm in defence and upon the unveiling of the Hall of Fame, Shonhayi shall be knighted as a rare defender of all time.”

Shonhayi was buried at his Chirumhanzu communal areas.

Time might have flown by, the seasons might have changed, but real Zimbabwean football fans will never forget their Captain Sandura. It’s a pity the game’s leaders appear to have forgotten him already.