HARARE - There is no doubt in everyone’s mind that legendary footballer Adam Ndlovu, who tragically died in a horrific car crash on Sunday, was a genuine Zimbabwean sporting hero and worth of a place on a Zimbabwean Sports Hall of Fame if there was one.

Not even Zanu PF’s refusal to declare the former Warriors star a national hero demean the respect and admiration Adam held in the eyes of many who had the privilege of watching this brilliant striker in his pomp.

While there were many people in Zanu PF who thought Adam deserved such status, their request to the party’s politburo presented a serious headache for the party since such a move would have been a first in the history of the national shrine. No non-political figure has ever been buried there.

As such, Zanu PF was a victim of its own consistency. As much as the people would have loved to gain mileage from burying a likeable and iconic footballer at the shrine, one gets a feeling that the hands of the decision makers were tied by their own rigid criterion.

Truth be told, there are other fine footballers if not better, as well as other arts luminaries from this country who were not conferred national hero status at their death, so Adam’s decision was a big poser for the former ruling party.

But it doesn’t need a political party to confirm a true folk hero.The people chose their own heroes, and there’s no doubt in their minds that Adamski was a champion.