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International career
Makinka’s international career saw him play for Zambia between 1985 and 1993, making three African Cup of Nations (AfCON) in Egypt (1986), Algeria (1990) and Senegal (1992).
As is well known, Zambia reaped bronze during the 1990 Algeria tournament when she narrowly beat Senegal 1-0 in the third play-off with a Webster Chikabala goal on March 5 in a match played at Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in the Algerian capital, Algiers.
In the 1986 Egypt-held tournament, Makinka and colleagues, were booted in the first round while in the 1992 Senegal-staged Championship; Zambia went out in the quarter-finals.
Makinka, a strong running, tough-tackling, holding midfielder, who formed a highly competitive central park partnership with Charles Musonda or alternatively with Godfrey Kangwa, depending on the situation or conditions, was also a scorer of wonder and wonderful goals – in most cases, crucial ones.
In Makinkna’s only Olympic Games appearance for Zambia at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, his two glorious goals against Guatemala in a 4-0 bashing of the Central American side on September 21, 1988, is sweet nostalgia.
Kalusha Bwalya provided another brace for the Ashious Melu-captained side, coached by his Mufulira Wanderers head-trainer Samuel Ndhlovu.
Two days earlier, Derby also played a key role in the 4-0 thrashing of Italy. Like the Guatemala match in the group stage, be it as it may, that he didn’t score on this occasion. Instead, it was the then Cercle Brugge man, Kalusha Bwalya, whose hat-trick and the other Bwalya – Johnson – who destroyed the Italians whose line-up included a certain Roberto Baggio who would turn up to be Italy’s star player during the Italia and USA 1994 World Cup finals tournaments.
The Profund Warriors’ midfield maestro, also played in Zambia’s two other matches – in the 2-2 draw with Iraq in the group stage, with stone Nyirenda and Kalusha getting their country’s goals.
Makinka was also in the starting XI when Zambia was dwarfed 4-0 by the then West Germany in the quarter-finals on September 29, 1988 – a result that ultimately curtailed Zambia’s ambitions – to send Derby and company crushing out of the Olympics after an heroic start to the tournament.
In what many observers believe was one of Makinka’s larger-than-life competitive matches he ever featured, he played a sterling role in midfield in the 4-2 defeat of the DR Congo in a 1990 Italy World Cup finals qualifier played at Lusaka’s Independence Stadium on 13 August 1989.
Arguably, Makinka scored the goal of the match from some 30 yards away, a swerving right-footed pile-driver that looked unstoppable the moment the shot was let flying.
Lucky Msiska, Nyirenda (Stone) and Kalusha (penalty), were the other scorers on the sweltering hot afternoon.
Earlier, in another World Cup qualifier in the same series, Makinka was Zambia’s angel of mercy when he scored the only goal of the match when his country narrowly beat Tunisia 1-0 at Lusaka’s Independence Stadium on June 11, 1989 (There are two other venues known by the same name in Zambia, one in the small mining town of Kalulushi, home to Kalulushi Modern Stars and the other one, in Choma town, in the southern part of Zambia, the venue for Green Eagles).
Personal life
Makinka was married to a nurse, named Doreen, with whom he had a son named Debby and two daughters by the names of Dianna and Debbie. Derby also had a brother called Dennis who once played for NAPSA Stars, Zanaco FC and Nkwazi FC.
What a coincidence that the Makinka family is full of people whose first names start with letter D, as if by design!
