admin
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
AFTER the tribal storm that never was at Binga Pirates, Zifa Southern Region Division One League matches resumed yesterday with one match while all the teams but one, will be in action across the region today after a two week break.
Bulawayo City, who had hit a bad patch heading into the break that saw them go for three games without recording a win, including suffering a humiliating three-nil defeat to Makomo, exacted some form of revenge when they beat the Hwange-based coalminers 3-0 at Luveve Stadium yesterday.
City got their goals from Darly Nyandoro who scored a brace and Methel Ngulube.
During the break, a tribal storm reportedly erupted at league debutants, Binga Pirates, that led to their assistant coach Ashley Ndebele throwing in the towel after allegedly falling out of favour with the local community who accused him of overlooking local boys in favour of “foreigners”.
However, it has since emerged that Ndebele was thrown under the bus by his executive who accused him of inciting players to leave the club for greener pastures.
Our sister paper, B-Metro reported last week that some locals bayed for Ndebele’s blood, despite the gaffer being just an assistant coach. Former Hwange and Caps United goalkeeper, Witness Munkuli, is the head coach.
“The truth of the matter is that this whole issue is over three players, Blessing Dube, Macdonald Furawu and Smart Daudi who had shown interest in joining ZPC Hwange. In fact, they no longer wish to be part of Binga Pirates because of none remuneration issues and as such some club executive members accused Ashley of being the mastermind behind the players’ decision to move and so as to get to him, they mobilised supporters to come up with trumped up charges,” said a source well versed with the goings on at the club.
When the players informed Binga Pirates’ management that they wished to join ZPC Hwange, who had also expressed an interest, one of the officials, who works at Binga Prisons, allegedly instructed the players to go to Hwange Prisons and write affidavits that upon payment of their salaries by ZPC Hwange, they were each going to pay Binga Pirates $300 before they could be issued with clearance letters.
“So this is really a storm in a tea cup, there is nothing tribal and Binga folks are mature people who cannot stoop that low. There are other glaring matters that they can complain about than a mere coach doing his duties,” said the source.
Concerted efforts to get a comment from Ndebele and the Binga Pirates leadership were in vain yesterday while ZPC Hwange said they cannot involve themselves with other clubs’ internal politics “but yes, we are interested in the said players.”
Results: Bulawayo City 3- 0 Makomo
Fixtures
Today: Toronto v Bosso 90 (Crescent, 3PM); Casmyn v Indlovu Iyanyathela (Turk Mine, 3PM); Talen Vision v Arenel (Gifford High, 12PM); Mosi Rovers v ZPC Hwange (Chinotimba, 3PM); Binga Pirates v Mainline (Binga High, 3PM); Moto Moto v Ajax Hotspurs (Mpumalanga, 3PM), CIWU-on bye.
Online Reporter