Bantu Rovers want 5 O-Levelled coach

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
PREMIER Soccer League returnees Bantu Rovers are in the hunt for a substantive coach, with the club saying the prospective gaffer should have a minimum of five O-Levels in addition to the Zifa requirements.

Zifa is likely to enforce its proposal of head coaches of PSL sides being in possession of a Caf A Licence.

Rovers return to the PSL after clinching the 2016 Southern Region Division One League title. They began their pre-season camp last month under the guidance of former Zimbabwe Saints gaffer Agent Sawu and juniors’ coach Dumaza Dube.

Wilbert Sibanda, Rovers’ general manager, said the club’s technical director Methembe Ndlovu, who missed the start of pre-season training as he was out of the country, is also involved in taking players through their paces.

Sibanda refuted suggestions that Ndlovu would be in charge of the squad on their PSL return.

“The search for a coach is still on and we’re still taking CVs. Besides the potential coach having the prerequisite Caf A Licence, the person interested in the Bantu Rovers’ job should also have a minimum of five O-Levels,” said Sibanda.

“The technical director (Ndlovu), who is also the Under-18 coach, our Under-14 and Under-16 coach Agent Sawu, and the academy coach Dumaza Dube have been coordinating and assisting in player recruitment as well as training the squad. But taking the first team through their paces doesn’t mean that these are the first team coaches; they’re helping out because we can’t lose time without training while we search for a coach. Let me put this on record, the technical director will not sit on the PSL bench,” Sibanda said.

He could not be drawn into revealing whether the head coach would have the liberty of choosing his own assistants, saying at the moment they are seized with finding a perfect gaffer to lead their project.

Sibanda said the coach they are looking for should share the club’s vision of giving youngsters, mostly Under-20s, opportunities to showcase their talent.

“Bantu Rovers are firm believers in a vibrant junior policy and affording youngsters an opportunity to shine. Whoever comes in must share that vision. Look, it is Bantu Rovers who gave national team midfielders Kudakwashe Mahachi and Marvelous Nakamba their first PSL starts when they were just school kids between the ages of 15 and 16. This is what we intend to do and hopefully produce more stars who will follow in Mahachi and Nakamba’s footsteps,” said Sibanda.

Mahachi now turns out for South African PSL side Golden Arrows, who got him from Mamelodi Sundowns, while Nakamba plays for Netherlands topflight side Vitesse.

Meanwhile, Rovers have agreed terms with Bulawayo Chiefs’ Nkosiyazi “Juice” Ncube who joins the Premiership side as their goalkeepers’ coach.

@ZililoR