Online Reporter
Eddie Chikamhi
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE sun is beginning to shine in the 2025 Castle Lager Premiership season for giants CAPS United.
Their 1-0 win over Chicken Inn at Rufaro at the weekend, a second victory on the bounce for new coach Ian Bakala, was huge as the giants are slowly working their way up and steering away from the relegation zone.
But the same cannot be said for crosstown rivals Dynamos who appear trapped in the woods despite the recent technical team changes that brought on board nomadic gaffer Saul Chaminuka.
Unlike Chaminuka, who is still seeking a breakthrough win, Bakala has managed to give the Green Machine some breathing space after helping the side collect eight points in their last five games.
CAPS United made a sluggish start to the season and had only eight points from 10 games when Bakala arrived. This means the Zambian needed just half the number of games that his predecessor, Lloyd Chitembwe gobbled to get to eight points.
In total, the 2016 champions now have 16 points in the bag from 15 games. It appears the gamble to re-assign Chitembwe to the position of technical director and engage his former teammate Bakala is beginning to pay off.
Makepekepe have won two, drawn two and lost once since Bakala’s arrival.
The identical back-to-back wins over Manica Diamonds and Chicken Inn have seen them break away from the relegation matrix, although they are just three points above the drop zone occupied by Chicken Inn.
“I think it’s a very good thing. But I give credit to the players. They are gelling too much, which is good. I’m happy for them,” said Bakala.
“We know we are not in a good position, but I give credit to them because I think the winning mentality is coming, which is good for us.
“But we still have a lot of work to do. We need to work in some of the areas I can’t mention because it’s teamwork. But you’ll see it. I think as we are going to the second round, you’ll see more improvement in this team.”
The Zambian derives pride from his past history with CAPS United, a club he won the championship with in 2004. He believes the current crop of Makepekepe players could achieve the same if they fully comprehend the value of the Green Machine badge. This is something that he has been instilling in them.
“Well, at the moment, they understand the name of CAPS United and I think there’s much improvement in the team. Most of them, I think, didn’t expect this. But it has come to them.
“They have to get a challenge. The badge of the team is a very big badge. Some of them were just here for the sake of playing. But now they know what is at stake.
“Everyone is fighting and training. And you have seen some of them, despite coming on from the bench, I think there’s so much improvement,” said Bakala.
For Dynamos, the agony continued at the weekend after settling for a 1-1 draw against minnows Bikita Minerals at the weekend. The Harare giants gave away an early first-half lead and even missed a penalty in that upsetting draw, which left their coach Chaminuka livid.
The 2014 Coach of the year is still looking for a solution to DeMbare’s ills. Four games on and he is still waiting for his breakthrough win. Cumulatively, Dynamos have not won a match in their last 11 outings and as a result, they are deeply mired in the relegation muddle.
Evidently, it has not been easy for Chaminuka, who has only managed three points from the four games he supervised.
Dynamos are still where he found them — third from the bottom — with 11 points from 15 starts. But Chaminuka is still convinced DeMbare will be able to turn around their fortunes once they work on their finishing, a problem that has persisted in the last two seasons.
“We have always had better scoring opportunities than our opponents. To me it means we are playing well but it is the finishing. We are not as convincing. Look at the penalty miss.
“When are we going to be convincing? This is an opportunity that we created, it didn’t just come. And you have an opportunity like that and you miss it.
“So, we will continue working on our problem, which is scoring goals. We are supposed to be scoring not just once. Let’s score two or three and let’s see if the opponents can come back. I think we need to be scoring goals,” said Chaminuka.
Another PSL giant Highlanders are also experiencing a dip in form, having gone five games without winning. Bosso fell out of the top half at the weekend when they lost 2-3 to champions Simba Bhora at Barbourfields. They are now 10th on the log standings with 19 points from 15 games.
In contrast, Simba Bhora moved to just two points shy of log leaders MWOS at the top of the table. MWOS were held to a 2-2 draw by struggling Triangle but managed to retain their place at the apex with 31 points.
More exciting mid-week fixtures have been lined up for tomorrow and Thursday as the league races towards the halfway mark.
