Ex-Bosso star now a waiter in Mzansi

Fungai Muderere
AS the world marvels at some of the football talent Zimbabwe has to offer on the continent and beyond there are some whose passion is not enough to earn them international acclaim but their love for the game is somehow kept alive.

Some promising talent on the domestic league fails to flourish. That is the nature of the real world, a case of a�?survival of the fittesta�? or simply, a�?natural selectiona�? and so to earn a living there is no choice but to relegate football to the back seat opting for what will pay the bills.

Former Highlanders holding midfielder Kenny a�?Dokozaa�? Msimanga (32) is one of those that failed to live the dream.

He jokingly tells B-Metro hea��s one of the few a�?multi-talented footballers to come from Zimbabwe,a�? making reference to his current job as a waiter in one of Johannesburga��s trendy restaurants.

There he serves celebrities and even footballers who made a cut but could probably be not as talented as he was. He was a championship winning player with Bosso in 2006.

a�?I enjoy the job and ita��s a case of trying to earn a living,a�? says Msimanga who graduated into the Bosso first team in 2004.

Hea��s one of the many former Zimbabwe top flight footballers who have moved to South Africa in pursuit of other things but interestingly their love for the game brings them together in the city of gold.

In Johannesburg they are the toast of a social soccer league where big monies are bet.

Forgotten stars such as Mgcini Mhlophe, Thubelihle Ncube, Nqobile Sibanda (all ex-Highlanders players), ex-FC Platinum and Chicken Inn lank midfielder Thandazani a�?Malelea�? Ndlovu andA� Bruce Bangira who was with the now defunct AmaZulu are some of the easily identifiable Zimbabwean footballers in social soccer circles.

At least How Mine player Peter a�?Rioa�? Moyo managed to revive his career back home after turning out for Shetstone Gardens Social Soccer Team, the same club Dokoza turns out for. This could suggest that the social soccer league is highly competitive enough to house players at their prime.

This weekend all eyes are on a R10 000 winner-takes-all tournament in Johannesburg.

a�?I am off to training. This tournament is big, we cana��t afford to lose,a�? he said.