Thousands have gathered to bid farewell to late Keegan Mumba

Mumba died at around 10pm on Saturday. Mumba had been sick since last December.

The Zambian coach first took charge of Zimbabwean champions Dynamos in March 2003 and he wrote his own piece of history in December of the same year when he became the first foreign mentor to lift a trophy at DeMbare after they won the Zifa Unity Cup.

At the beginning of the 2004 season, Mumba was at the centre of a wrangle with Dynamos and Black Rhinos with the latter side claiming that the Zambian had taken over the hot seat at the Zimbabwean army side.

Mumba briefly coached Black Rhinos before returning to Dynamos in May 2004, claiming that he had been given a raw deal by the army side.

A nomadic coach, Mumba later on dumped Dynamos and crossed the Limpopo River to coach South African side Zulu Royals in July 2004 but he returned to Zimbabwe towards the end of the same year to take charge of army side Green Buffaloes.

Mumba also coached the now-defunct Zimbabwean Premiership side Shooting Stars before he returned home to Zambia where he took charge of several clubs here until his untimely death on Saturday night.

And the Zambian football fraternity has described Mumba’s death as shocking.

Before falling ill, Mumba was among 25 coaches that attended the Confederation of African Football A coaching course in Lusaka.

He completed the first phase but was unable to complete the second phase due to illness.

Mumba, a journalist by profession, is survived by a wife Florence and five children.

The funeral is being held at his house in Lusaka’s Kanyama, opposite Kanyama Police Station.

By Stephen Phiri in LUSAKA, Zambia