A murder that immortalised a man and his club

Close to 600 fans have accompanied Mbabane Swallows to Lesotho. No, not for a CAF Champions League final. Not for a semifinal either. No, it's not for a match against an African powerhouse too. Instead Swallows are going to play little known Bantu FC in a Preliminary round first leg in the Champions League.

And yet close to 600 Swallows fans are going there to rally behind their team. Each fan had to pay E350 for transport and E30 for a ticket to get into the Setsoto stadium to watch the match on Sunday. That means each one of those close to 600 or so supporters has spent nearly E400 on just transport and entry fee alone for this match. Never mind other important things like food.

It's unbelievable. The numbers are striking. Adding them up, it means those Swallows supporters have spent a total amount of about E200 000 in order to go watch their team play a side they probably didn't know existed before the draw in December.

But this is just not a coincidence. This is a story of a football club immortalised by the brutal murder of its boss Victor 'Maradona' Gamedze. The intention in killing Gamedze, it is clear, was to take away both his life and all he has built but instead, all what the murderer and his fellow conspirators have done is to immortalise the man and his projects, more so Swallows.

From the moment Gamedze was shot dead, it was as though his spirit was transferred to those left behind at the club. The memorial service and funeral, despite being incredibly sad, were turned into celebrations. Celebrations of the life of a man who contributed immensely to football and business in Swaziland.

And then came that match against Royal Leopard, Swallows' first since the tragedy. A late winner and massive celebrations afterwards, Swallows looked a new beast. Their supporters had crammed Somhlolo that day and it's been the case ever since.

Gamedze's death, painful as it has been, has brought Swallows together. It has evoked a great desire within everybody left behind to make sure the legacy of the late PLS Chairman is kept alive.

It has also allowed the nation to reflect on the work and contributions of a man many loved to hate. Fewer Swazis will probably divide opinion as much as 'Maradona' did when he was still alive but his death has allowed Swazis to take a moment and think about his contribution to the country and the consensus is clear, the country has lost a jewel.

He is indeed more loved now than he was when alive. One of his company's, Swazi Mobile, continues to grow from strength to strength. I have heard that they have had a huge number of new registrations on their network since January 14, the sad day of Gamedze's passing.

Gamedze's killers might have been hoping that by killing him they would also erase him from the minds of Swazis but instead they have immortalised the man.

In a week in which Manchester United commemorated the Munich Air disaster, it is perhaps fitting to borrow one of the phrases the Manchester club was using to mark the occasion and put it in our context. "For the spirit of Victor Gamedze will never die. For Mbabane Swallows will never die."