‘Bring on Highlanders job’

Lovemore Dube Senior Sports Editor
“GET me the Highlanders FC coaching job, I relish the big challenge that goes with that. I am serious about this,” these were the parting words of Saul Chaminuka who is close to winning the Castle Lager Premiership title with ZPC Kariba in an interview yesterday.Chaminuka has all the reasons to feel on Cloud Nine. He is close to achieving what only a few have in the past – to come to the capital and win the league title.

The list also includes Trevor Carelse-Juul who won the BAT Super League title with Dynamos in the 1980s and Charles Mhlauri with Caps United in 2004 and 2005.

Written off at the beginning of the season as hopeless with a team that was assembled with an average of almost 10 years Premiership experience, it felt like the world was crumbling around them when Norman Togara packed his bags for Chiredzi in the first quarter. No one believed that with the likes of Tawanda Nyamande, Pride Tafirenyika and Limited Chikafa, Chaminuka would last in his job where he had replaced Jostein Mathuthu who took the team into the Premiership after winning the Northern Region Division One title last year.
Chikafa, who was almost written off the game after a heart problem that led to his release by Triangle, came for some praises from his coach yesterday.

He was a key figure in the 2-1 win over Dynamos at the giant National Sports Stadium which left them with one hand on the title.
“Limited Chikafa has done well for the team. It boils down to his discipline and hard work. He has been a good leader for the team. It was important that at the beginning of the season we state how we want things to be done and spell roles for each other and Chikafa fitted well into the frame. He has done well for the club with his eight or nine goals in the league so far,” said Chaminuka.

The former Masvingo United, Merlin Husky (Bulawayo), Cheziya, Ziscosteel, Black Mambas and Blackpool midfielder paid tribute to club management who availed resources.

“It’s great to be where we are, to be close to winning the championship. We play the weekend after this one and we will hope to guard against complacency and finish off a great season for ourselves.

“I want to be blunt. It would not have been possible without resources and the support of administration. They made it all possible for the team to be close to greatness with their support throughout the year.”

Chaminuka said they were able to leave for places like Hwange and be there by Wednesday for a Sunday match.

“By the time we got to Sunday we would be ready for the game. Immediately after the match we would leave for Harare and prepare for the next game. This made our work easy as we were able to plan and implement things without a hassle. Fatigue was never an issue because of the support we enjoyed from the executive and sponsor,” said Chaminuka.

He is in the running for the Coach of the Year. award and could end a fairytale run by also having his star striker Chikafa crowned Soccer Star of the Year with the goalkeeping honours going to Tendai Hove who has clocked the highest number of clean sheets this season.

After moving to Bulawayo from Masvingo in 1985, Chaminuka was part of the Merlin Husky side that brimmed with talented players like Phana Mthimkhulu, the late Tutani Moyo, Ben Phiri, the late Nkulumo Donga and Niya Phiri.

He later packed his bags for Ziscosteel where he played with some of the best players from the Midlands who included Abraham Senda, Kennedy Nagoli, Costa Mafukidze, James Takavada, Ephraim Dzimbiri and Richard “Gwesela’ Ndlovu.

Chaminuka had a stint at Black Mambas where he operated in central midfield and wide on the wing turning out for probably the best police outfit which had stars like Spencer Ngove, Reason Dahwa and Masimba Dinyero and by 1990 he was already involved in coaching working with Ordinance Hotspurs at Morris Depot.

A move to Blackpool was to follow in 1994 but an injury cut his career short in 1998 forcing him to go into coaching.

He holds a CAF A Licence and is very fluent in English, Ndebele and Shona.

ZPC Kariba now have 56 points, two more than Dynamos and a draw could just be enough to see them win the title and the ticket to the African Champions League next year as Dynamos would need to win by at least five goals to clinch the title, Callisto Pasuwa’s fourth.

Should Chaminuka win the title, he would have added several pages into his curriculum vitae and could force a change of mentality at teams like Highlanders who have rarely taken coaches across the geographical and tribal divide.

As a parting shot, Chaminuka said: “Akungidingele umsebenzi kuHighlanders sengiready for the big challenge. Ngiserious. (Get me the Highlanders FC coaching job, I relish the big challenge that goes with that. I am serious about this”.