Chaminuka leaves TelOne, Luphahla takes over

TELONE Football Club have parted ways with head coach Saul Chaminuka, with former coach Joel Luphahla set to take over at the relegation-threatened Premier Soccer League side.

TelOne confirmed Chaminuka’s departure today, saying the two parties had mutually agreed to end their relationship with immediate effect following what the club described as “strategic discussions”.

“The club extends its sincere gratitude to Coach Chaminuka for his service to the team. We wish him the very best in his future endeavours,” TelOne said in a statement.

Luphahla is expected to take his first training session with the Gweru-based side today, according to sources close to the developments.

The former Warriors midfielder returns to a club where he achieved one of the biggest milestones of his coaching career, guiding TelOne to promotion into the Premier Soccer League in 2018.

His immediate task will be to try to revive TelOne’s fortunes, with the club battling for survival in the top flight.

Luphahla’s first assignment is expected to be against Dynamos this weekend, with the two sides scheduled to meet in the Premier Soccer League programme.

The return to TelOne comes less than a month after Luphahla parted ways with FC Platinum.

FC Platinum and Luphahla mutually agreed to end their relationship on July 28, with South African coach Thabo Senong subsequently taking over at the Zvishavane club.

Before joining FC Platinum, Luphahla enjoyed a successful spell at Simba Bhora, guiding the Shamva-based side to a third-place finish in the 2025 Premier Soccer League season.

His coaching career has also included a stint at Highlanders, where he worked as an assistant coach before taking charge on an interim basis.

Luphahla’s return to TelOne is a full-circle moment for the coach, who guided the club to the top flight before leaving the technical structures.

He was unable to take charge of TelOne’s maiden PSL campaign as head coach because he did not possess the required CAF A coaching qualification at the time, resulting in Jairos Tapera being appointed head coach.

Luphahla subsequently continued to develop his coaching career before returning to the top flight in a series of head-coaching roles.

Chaminuka’s departure marks another change in TelOne’s technical department this season.

He was appointed in May after the club parted ways with Herbert Maruwa following a difficult start to the campaign. Chaminuka was tasked with steering the side away from the relegation zone, but TelOne continued to struggle for consistency.

Chaminuka had been under increasing pressure in recent weeks, with reports emerging that the club was considering a change in the technical department. On August 4, Luphahla was first linked with the job, although TelOne had not made any official announcement at the time.

By August 5, reports indicated that Chaminuka remained in charge while negotiations over his departure were taking place.

The situation has now been resolved, with TelOne officially confirming Chaminuka’s departure and Luphahla poised to take charge.

For Luphahla, the immediate challenge is to stabilise a TelOne side fighting to retain its Premier Soccer League status.