Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira, Zimpapers Sports Hub
BULAWAYO Chiefs did not waste time easing themselves back into the Premier Soccer League. On Tuesday, the club confirmed a cluster of signings that make one thing clear: this return is meant to last.
Chiefs, promoted at the first attempt after a season outside the top flight, announced the capture of Blessing Kagudu, Clive Rupiya and Denzel Mapuwa from GreenFuel, Busi Mathe from Bikita Minerals, and Maxwell Murimi from Deportivo La Murambinda. Five deals in one stroke, all targeted, all tied to positions the technical team flagged during early pre-season work.
Chiefs chief executive officer Thulani “Javas” Sibanda said the club was determined not to repeat the mistakes that haunted previous PSL spells, when excitement outpaced planning and survival became the only conversation by mid-season.
“Our focus is simple,” Sibanda said. “We are coming back as a better team in every department.
“The mandate is to compete properly and stay in the league. That part is non-negotiable.”
Recruitment, Sibanda said, is not finished. Chiefs are still shaping the squad under guidance from the technical bench, with fitness data and training performances influencing who comes next.
“We are building based on what the coaches see every day,” he said.
“If there is a need, we move. Pre-season tells you the truth very quickly.”
Off the field, Chiefs are also confronting a reputation that has followed them through previous PSL campaigns, that of a likeable but temporary guest. Sibanda wants that label gone.
“This season has to grow the brand,” he said. “We cannot keep being seen as a small club. What happens on the pitch must match what we are trying to build commercially and with our supporters.”
That intent shows in the calibre of players already secured beyond the initial five. Former Chicken Inn striker Brian Muza has signed, bringing proven top-flight goals after three productive seasons at Luveve.
Dwayne Musona arrives from Majesa Academy in Mutare, a player the club believes is ready for a bigger stage.
Elvis Moyo and goalkeeper Melikhaya Ncube have also committed, adding experience and depth.
Muza’s signing, in particular, sends a message. Chiefs have often struggled to turn chances into points in the PSL. Muza’s reputation was built on reliability, not flashes, and that matters for a side that knows survival is earned through consistency.
There is also movement around Highlanders defender Melikhaya Ncube, who is understood to be close to joining.
Sources say the chance to link up with Victoria Falls-born midfielder Malvin Mkolo, a central figure in the Chiefs dressing room, played a role in those discussions.
Chiefs know ambition alone does not protect clubs in the PSL.
The league punishes slow starts and thin squads. With the transfer window still open and training intensity rising, the club’s off-season work will be judged quickly once the 2026 campaign begins.
