GIVE THAT MAN ‘MADZE’ A BELLS

I thank God I bumped into one of the Mbabane Highlanders’ stalwarts and patron Moses Dlamini shortly before putting down my thoughts, yesterday.

It was an unplanned meeting. Dlamini as always, showed so much passion and zeal for the troubled-riddled Mbabane giants in our talk. I think Highlanders are the closest to his heart. To cut a long story short, it was after our accidental meeting that I decided against telling the Mbabane giants, in particular team boss, Bheki ‘Rubber’ Simelane that the self-inflicted injuries afflicting them now were actually long coming.

It is Harries ‘Madze’ Bulunga, the former Umbelebele midfield maestro and his charges at the national senior squad Sihlangu that have grabbed the headlines in the past week and ultimately got me thinking about what used to be my beloved Sihlangu again. The squad’s fine run under the soft spoken mentor is hard to resist. They are literally begging for attention.
The statistics reveal Bulunga and his charges have lost twice in nine games. They were beaten at home by South Africa on a Friday night at a fully packed Somhlolo National Stadium 3-0. It was an international friendly game.

defeat

They then tasted defeat again in Free Town during the second leg of the World Cup Qualifier clash against Sierra Leone.
The rest have been credible draws and wins, the biggest victory being the 4-1 demolition of Botswana away from home. The squad has also won 1-0 away in Lesotho, beat Mozambique as well and also drew away in Lesotho and Mozambique, holding the hosts to barren stalemates.

Fine, the statistics may not be the wow kind but for a nation that has failed to leave any mark in the international stage in recent times; this should be an indicator that there must be something right Bulunga and his assistant Nyanga ‘Crooks’ Hlophe are doing right. Sihlangu in one of the recent games under Belgian mentor Valere Billen were thrashed a numbing and mind-blowing 10-0. It is a sore that refuses to heal. There has been a huge difference since that ill-fated clash where the country’s image was tainted to what seemed beyond repair at the time. Bulunga’s last game was the 1-1 draw away from home against Namibia.

His team has shed the sissy approach to games. They no longer wilt and crack at the slightest pressure from the opposition.  They now play like men. They stand their own. The trip to Free Town was not so rosy but the boys bowed out with dignity.

There is no doubt that the technical bench has outdone itself in as far as their mandate is concerned. Bulunga was implored by his employers, the National Football Association of Swaziland (NFAS), to try and restore the squad’s battered, tattered and worn out image. Of course we all know that Sihlangu had turned into a laughing stock. No one seemed to care.

I say Bulunga has achieved what he and his technical bench set out to do when they took over. It is now time to move forward. Can he take us to the Promised Land? Can Bulunga really be the man entrusted with guiding the national squad in the tough times that lie ahead?

strenuous

The four tournaments the squad is scheduled to play in next year will not only be demanding, strenuous, wearing and taxing but they will require a tough and unwavering army with a steadfast resolve. Can Madze give us that?
From what we have seen, I say give him a Bells!. He has done well and he deserves a chance. Many of these foreign coaches have come here and milked us dry with their exorbitant salaries but still leave the game at an even poorer state.    

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