Bongani Mafu under fire

Raymond Jaravaza
FORMER Highlanders coach Bongani Mafu, who is under fire at his current team Mochudi Centre Chiefs, was forced to clarify his coaching credentials to a hostile Botswana media that had labelled him a�?a mere primary school coacha��.

The jibe was made following the latest 2-0 home defeat to Black Forest last weekend.

Life has not been rosy for the former Tsholotsho FC assistant coach who has endured five defeats, three draws and two wins to accumulate a paltry nine points leaving the defending Botswana champions fighting relegation.

He joined Chiefs in August.

The increasingly fed up Batswana fans are pushing for his exit and after the latest defeat mocked the gaffera��s credentials forcing himA� to hit back.

a�?I am going to introduce myself first because I read an article which described me very wrongly, so thata��s all I am going to give to you today,a�? said Mafu after the match.

a�?I think our team is not doing well but I really think I deserve to be described for who I am, you understand? So today Ia��m going to introduce myself to you guys and then maybe some other time we can talk about this game.

a�?My name is a��Mafu. I am a high school trained teacher, I attended Hillside Teacher s Training College so for people to say I am a primary school teacher is a bit insulting. I am also a French and Physical Education specialist.

I coached Zimbabwe Saints some years ago and I came to teach in Phakalane because they needed a specialist French teacher. At that time I coached Gaborone United and then I went to the United Kingdom and I have been coaching there before coming back after 16 years.

a�?I coached Highlanders and with seven games to go I was relieved of my duties and I went to coach Tsholotsho FC.

Tsholotsho FC is not a second tier team of Zimbabwe football, ita��s a Premier League team and they are still playing in the Premier League. My job was to go and help them survive relegation and they survived. I was then given a job by Mochudi Centre Chiefs. Thank you,a�? said Mafu.

It remains to be seen if the history lesson that Mafu gave the Botswana media will earn him respect from the members of the Fourth Estate.