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Malajila, who turned 27 on Wednesday, was among a group of seven players who became the latest batch of players to be cleared by the Zifa Independent Ethics Committee this week.
The speedy forward was immediately thrust into the Warriors’ team for the 2013 Nations Cup qualifier against Angola in Luanda.
Our Harare Bureau exclusively revealed the names of the cleared players yesterday.
Zifa president, Cuthbert Dube, confirmed yesterday that the seven players included Malajila.
The Warriors will begin camp in Harare on Monday in preparation for the make-or-break tie in Luanda next week.
Warriors’ coach Rahman Gumbo had been facing a problem with his frontline but yesterday got a huge boost with the clearing of three strikers that is Malajila, Kaizer Chiefs’ Kingstone Nkhata and Edward Sadomba who plies his trade in Sudan for top side Al Hilal.
Defender Lincoln Zvasiya, midfielder Justice Majabvi and goalkeepers Energy Murambadoro and Ephraim Mazarura were also cleared.
And, from that group, six were immediately added to the Warriors squad, which now has 30 players.
Only Majabvi was omitted.
Of the players cleared, six of them were on the trip by the Warriors to a Four-Nation tournament in
Vietnam while Zvisiya had been blacklisted for playing for the Under-20s in China and Bulgaria.
The clearances have been following a pattern as the first batch of players to be cleared featured senior players who had played for the Warriors in a friendly in Oman and junior players who had gone to China and Bulgaria.
Valinhos, the Brazilian coach who was in charge of the Warriors in Oman, was also cleared in the first batch.
Malajila was thrilled with the latest turn of events.
“”I have been waiting for this thing to happen for a long time,” said Malajila.
“The last time I came to give evidence I was positive that one day I will be exonerated. I have learnt to be positive during that whole time. As a player I no longer play football with the heavy burden of thinking what will happen tomorrow. At least, that chapter is over. I no longer have the pressure and, I am not lying, this came as a big birthday present for me.
“I had celebrated my birthday quietly with a training session in the morning and then went for lunch and later dinner with my family. After receiving the news, my joy was made complete,” said Malajila.
The Warriors are sitting on a healthy 3-1 win over the Palancas Negras achieved in the first leg last month.
Malajila, Nkhata and Sadomba will now have to fight for their places in the final 18 with German-based Knowledge Musona, Takesure Chinyama and the Premiership’s leading scorer Nelson Maziwisa.
“It feels good to be back in the national team. I think I have a lot to give to my country and I am ready to do my best if I am given the opportunity to play.
“I have been working hard, of late, with my teammates here in South African because we want a top eight finish. I also want to salute the guys who played and won the first leg against Angola.
“They did a very good job but we must continue working hard as a nation because I believe it will not be easy in Angola.
“It’s good that the finals will be played here in Southern Africa and it will be great if Zimbabwe qualifies. The team will be guaranteed of many fans backing them in South Africa,” said Malajila.
The Warriors will camp in Harare.
Warriors’ team manager, Nyika Chifamba, welcomed the clearance of the players and said they will provide more options to the technical team.
Chifamba also revealed that he had managed to work on the logistics to have all the players available for camp without hassles. “I am one of the happiest people on earth today. You can see it by the expression on my face.
“Not that we didn’t have quality, but the fact that we are adding more quality makes me glad.
“We know these players and there is no need to waste time discussing them because we have been following their performances with their teams.
“The goalkeeping part had given the coaches some headaches and the availability of two more goalkeepers will actually solve the problem,” said Chifamba.
Zifa president Cuthbert Dube said they are expecting the Independent Ethics Committee to finalise its findings by next Thursday.
The committee has now absolved 40 players in total, after a bigger group of 33 was cleared in April this year.
Dube said they are keen to bring the case to finality as soon as they can but would not push the committee on its procedures, adding that he would be in charge of all communication on issues to do with the scandal.
“The issue of Asiagate has been going on for some time now and as Zifa we have been engaging the Ethics Committee behind the scenes because the nation is anxious.
“We didn’t go to them and say we want the players, no. That is why we set an independent committee.
“The Committee is saying probably by the 11th (October, 2012) next week they should be through with everything. We leave everything entirely at their discretion. Up until further notice, all communication to do with Asiagate, should be directed to me as president. We have no communications officer and this is the official position as of now,” said Dube.
Board member Elliot Kasu also gave an update on the preparations and said everything was on course for the trip.
Kasu said Zifa were hoping to charter a plane to Angola and would accommodate the media, selected supporters while about 50 seats would be available for purchase. “Mzansi90 currently is busy harnessing resources for our Warriors and we are appealing for more from various sponsors because we haven’t reached our target as yet. We are still working on modalities to acquire a charter flight to Angola. The people going to Angola should be able to take care of themselves because we don’t want to be embarrassed.
“We are going to allocate some seats to a number of known drum beaters to spur our Warriors on.
There are about 50 seats for sale and we will only be able to know about the prices after the meeting tomorrow (today). The tickets will go on sale maybe at the weekend after we have confirmed the charter. There is also a possibility to arrange road transport because we cannot accommodate everyone. Those wishing to travel should contact Simeon Jamanda,” said Kasu.
Londile Moyo
Online Reporter