From player, to captain & kit manager

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter

JOINING the team from their early years as a Division Two side and staying with the same club up until now has been the biggest fulfilment of Edmore Mavhima’s life, from a mere player to captain and now kit manager. 

Then known as Mimosa FC, the Zvishavane-based side became home to Mavhima in 2003, having been formed in 1995. This week as they celebrate their Silver Jubilee, Mavhima recalls those early years in the third tier league, the still horror like day when he saw the lifeless body of the late former coach Benjamin Moyo and being part of the history-making team to win the Premiership title in 2017.

“I came to this club in 2003 when they were still in Division Two. My coming here was because my father wasn’t feeling well and being a footballer who was playing for Lengthens then, I decided to attend their training session and immediately the club signed me. I played for seven games before I was given the captain’s armband,” recalls Mavhima.

He said they stayed in Division Two up until in 2006 when Luke Petros was given the head coach’s job before leaving John Phiri in charge and he took the team to Division One in 2007. Petros briefly returned in 2008 and this time was replaced by Solomon Kaseke.

“I remained team captain under Kaseke who also left in 2009 and I, together with Patrick Mandizha, became head coaches taking charge for six games before Jairos Tapera was hired. He guided us to the PSL in 2011 after we had won the 2010 championship race. When the team got promoted, I called it a day,” said Mavhima.

Perhaps to reward him for his loyalty, he was appointed team manager in 2011, a position he has held until now.

He says he largely has fond memories of his time at the club except that April 2011 day when they received the most devastating news that shook the entire nation, the death of coach Moyo through drowning.

“We were in our rooms watching those musical gala shows on television when we were informed that something tragic had happened. We were told that coach Benjie had drowned in the swimming pool. He was a great swimmer and would always go to the pool everyday in the morning but what happened that day still remains a mystery to us,” said Mavhima.