Johnson Progress.

Highlanders Football Club has been plunged into grief after a horrific road accident claimed the lives of three of its top executives in Bulawayo–Shangani Highway.

Club chairman Kenneth Mhlophe, vice-chairman Sifiso “Fiso” Siziba, and treasurer Nkani Khoza died in the crash, which occurred near the Lochinar area, between Shangani and Bulawayo, late last night.

The trio were making their way home from Kariba, where Highlanders had suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to ZPC Kariba in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Week 24 clash, when disaster struck.

Preliminary reports suggest their Ford Raptor collided with a stray cow on the highway before careening into the path of an oncoming bus, triggering a violent head-on crash.

The force of the collision left the Ford Raptor mangled beyond recognition, pinning several occupants inside the wreckage.

One passenger was reportedly ejected from the vehicle on impact and was then struck by a Nissan travelling behind a chain of events that turned a routine journey home into one of Zimbabwean football’s darkest nights.

News of the tragedy has sent shockwaves through the football fraternity, with tributes flooding in from across the country.

ZIFA president Nqobile Magwizi led the outpouring of grief, honouring the trio as tireless custodians of the sport who dedicated their lives to the club’s cause.

Magwizi paid tribute to the men’s dedication before offering his condolences, saying “Zimbabwean football has lost three devoted servants whose passion and commitment helped shape one of our nation’s greatest football institutions.”

The ZIFA boss extended sympathy to the bereaved, noting the scale of the collective sorrow within the football community.

He added that his organisation stood in solidarity with the grieving, saying “our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Kenneth Mhlophe, Fiso Siziba and Nkani Khoza as well as the entire Highlanders family.”

What makes the loss particularly bitter is its timing Highlanders are currently celebrating their centenary, a milestone year meant to honour a century of history and achievement rather than mourn the sudden death of three of its custodians.

Magwizi reflected on this cruel irony, pointing out how the tragedy has overshadowed what should have been a joyous chapter for the club.

He remarked that, “it is especially painful that this loss comes during Highlanders’ centenary year, a time that should have been filled with celebration and reflection on a remarkable legacy, and that instead, the football family is united in mourning.”

Bulawayo giants Highlanders, one of Zimbabwe’s most storied and decorated clubs, now face the daunting task of mourning three of its senior leadership figures while simultaneously navigating the remainder of a season that had already been complicated by results on the pitch.

Funeral arrangements for the three executives are expected to be announced in the coming days, with the club and football governing bodies likely to coordinate memorial tributes befitting their contributions to the game.