25/06/2025
Rest in peace Coach Tawanda , you left your mark!!
A Gentle Giant Remembered: The Life and Legacy of Coach Tawanda Marimo
By Kennedy Khombo
On the 23rd of June 2025, the curtains closed on the life of a remarkable man, Coach Tawanda Marimo, sending ripples of sorrow across the corridors of Chapungu Football Club, the Air Force of Zimbabwe, and the broader Zimbabwean football fraternity. His passing at Gweru General Hospital, the very place of his birth on 2 December 1977, marked a solemn return to where it all began.
Coach Marimo was not merely a football tactician; he was a man whose presence exuded humility, wisdom, and steadfast commitment. A proud son of Gweru, his journey began at Sandara Primary School (1984–1990) and continued at Mkoba High School (1991–1994). These formative years laid the foundation for a lifelong love affair with football, a sport through which he would later touch countless lives.
His playing career, entirely dedicated to Chapungu FC, was a portrait of loyalty and consistency. Rising through the Club’s ranks from the youth system, Marimo earned his place in the senior team as a resolute defender known for his tactical intelligence, discipline, and calm authority on the field. He embodied the very spirit of “Waru Waru” – loyalty, duty, and pride – until his retirement in 2013.
In 2019, he rejoined the Club as an Assistant Coach, working under some of Zimbabwe’s most notable football minds, including Tendai Chikuni, Rodwell Dhlakama, Clemence Zuze, and the legendary Moses Chunga. His humility and dedication stood out. He did not seek the spotlight; instead, he let his work speak volumes. When appointed Interim Head Coach on 23 June 2023, few were surprised. His subsequent confirmation as substantive Head Coach for the 2024 season was a testament to the trust he had earned through integrity, quiet leadership, and unwavering commitment.
From the onset of his leadership, Coach Marimo transformed Chapungu FC not only in technical terms but at a cultural and spiritual level. He brought structure, unity, and a deeply human touch to the Club’s operations. He was a builder of systems, a shaper of minds, and a restorer of faith among players and supporters alike. The blue and gold of Chapungu once again became a symbol of pride under his stewardship.
To his players, he was a father figure – firm in discipline, generous with encouragement, and profoundly empathetic. To his peers, he was a dependable colleague who spoke softly but whose words carried depth and direction. To the football community, he was a quiet visionary who believed in development, community, and the intrinsic values of the game.
His sudden departure leaves behind a vacuum too vast to fill. But it also leaves behind an enduring legacy – etched not only in the Club’s archives but also in the hearts of all who had the privilege of knowing him.
Coach Marimo’s service extended beyond the football pitch. In 2003, he attested into the Air Force of Zimbabwe, where his discipline and work ethic found further expression in service to the nation.
His farewell was a journey of remembrance and symbolic return. After the solemn funeral parade held in his honour at Josiah Tungamirai Air Force Base, his body was taken to GAFA Grounds – the humble, grassroots football facility in Gweru where his dreams first took shape as a young boy with boundless ambition. From GAFA, his journey continued to Ascot Stadium, the hallowed home of Chapungu FC, where he gave the best years of his life as both a player and a coach.
As his casket made its final stop at Mutasa Cemetery, where he was laid to rest, hundreds of mourners – family, friends, teammates, supporters, and members of the wider community – gathered to pay tribute. Their presence was a powerful reflection of the man he was: respected, loved, and deeply cherished. Among the mourners was Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) Vice President Mr. Kennedy Ndebele, whose attendance further underscored the magnitude of the loss suffered by the football fraternity.
In Coach Tawanda Marimo, we saw a rare blend of gentleness and strength, of vision and humility, of tradition and transformation. He was a custodian of football values, a servant-leader, and a model of what it means to live a life of purpose.
Though he has departed from the physical world, his legacy will endure – in every Chapungu victory, in every young player he inspired, and in the very soul of the game he so dearly loved.
Rest in eternal peace, Coach. Your light may have dimmed, but your legacy will shine on – forever.
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