Online Reporter
Langton Nyakwenda-Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE night of March 15, 2025 felt charged in a way that did not match Agama’s sixth-place finish the previous season.
Something was shifting.
The Mt Darwin side did not just unveil new players in Bindura; they announced a bold new identity.
The ceremony was lavish, the mood was confident and the message was clear to anyone who listened. Agama were not turning up to participate in the Northern Region Soccer League. They were coming for the crown.
That night, the club revealed they had poured US$50 000 into new signings, a huge outlay for Division One.
One by one, the names stepped forward. Tinashe “Maswera” Balakasi, Cleopas “Gaucho” Kapupurika, Grey Kufandada, Maxwell Makomeke and veteran goalkeeper Nomore Jones.
It was a statement, and the biggest moment belonged to Balakasi, who arrived with the league’s all-time scoring record and a Toyota Aqua handed to him on stage.
The club even announced a US$200 000 season budget, half of it released immediately by owner Malvern Moyo.
Serial Northern Region winner coach Arthur Tutani stood tall that night and promised a fruitful campaign. Two hundred and forty days later, Agama delivered on everything he hinted at. They are champions of the Northern Region Soccer League and will become the first team from Mt Darwin to play Premiership football.
Their title came in dramatic fashion.
While rivals N’ombeyawora slipped 0-1 against MWOS Under-19 in Norton, Agama crushed FC Oden 4-0 in Banket and crossed the finish line on 88 points, two ahead.
The final sprint mirrored last season’s tense duel between N’ombeyawora’s sister club Scottland and MWOS, and again it went down to the wire.
After 18 rounds, the two sides were tied on 38 points.
One major change shaped Agama’s run. Paul “Popopo” Chimalizeni took over from Tutani in June and immediately found a rhythm. The veteran coach opened with three wins in nine days and never tasted defeat for the rest of the campaign.
“As the new coach, I enjoy winning, and I am here to win the championship. Like any other coach, my goal is to win; that is the plain truth,” Chimalizeni said after a tight 1-0 win over FC Oden in Pfura back in July.
His side grew stronger as the pressure rose. Last Saturday in Kuwadzana, Banket, they landed the final punch.
Kufandada finished with the Golden Boot on 17 goals, with Balakasi close behind on 15. The former Simba Bhora forward had set his sights on 30, but the title softened any disappointment.
“This championship medal is the most special one for me because we won the title on the last day of the race, when not many people believed we would do it,” Balakasi told Zimpapers Sports Hub.
“Most of our fans had given up; they thought N’ombeyawora would win it. So, for me, this was the toughest season since I started playing Division One football.”
At 34, he still wants one more chapter.
“I will be happy if I am part of the team. We have to finish what we started. It’s our hope as players that we retain the bulk of the players for continuity’s sake,” he said.
Chimalizeni is also hungry for another crack at the Premiership. His last stint there ended with relegated Kwekwe United, before he made the move to Agama in June.
“The Premier Soccer League is a different ball game altogether. It’s not for the faint-hearted,” he said, already bracing for what comes next.
Bindura’s bright night was more than a ceremony. It was a declaration. Months later, the journey that began under those lights has carried Agama to a place Mt Darwin had never been before.
