Online Reporter
Fungai Muderere, Zimpapers Sports Hub
HWANGE Football Club players have ended the season carrying more than just fatigue and reflection, they are carrying unpaid promises.
As the curtain fell on the 2025 Zifa Southern Region Division One campaign, frustration bubbled over inside the Hwange camp after revelations that players are still owed signing-on fees and seven match winning bonuses.
What should be a period of rest and planning has instead become a season of uneasy waiting, with sources confirming growing discord within the squad as every player presses for his dues.
“We are owed a lot. Some of us are yet to get their signing-on fees which we have been waiting for since the start of the season that recently concluded. However, we have been getting our monthly salaries,” said one of the club’s senior players on condition of anonymity.
Another player painted a picture of silence and uncertainty from the club offices at a time when answers are needed most.
“Everyone is on a holiday mood now but what it pains is that the club has gone silent on our signing-on fees and seven game winning bonuses. How does one plan for the next season if we continue to get such raw deals? It’s really frustrating,” thundered the other player.
Efforts to get a response from club administrator Khumbulani Mbano were unsuccessful, with claims that he had left his mobile phone at home.
On the field, Hwange once again showed they remain a force in the Southern Region.
The former Castle Lager Premier Soccer League side pushed eventual champions Bulawayo Chiefs hard, finishing as close challengers alongside league newcomers Nkayi United.
That title race later drifted into controversy. Bulawayo Chiefs’ triumph came under scrutiny after Hwange FC and Nkayi United lodged formal complaints challenging the eligibility of striker Anesu Saiti.
The clubs alleged that Saiti’s mid season move to Chiefs breached transfer regulations after he had already featured for Bulawayo City earlier in the campaign.
Away from the standings and protests, the Hwange situation echoes a familiar tune in local football.
For years, players have appealed to the country’s football mother body Zifa, the Premier Soccer League and the Sports and Recreation Commission to confront welfare issues that refuse to go away.
Two seasons ago, this publication reported that Chipangano players went on a two-day strike after being owed two months’ salaries, winning bonuses, signing-on fees and camping allowances.
As clubs wrestle with finances, the calendar for top-flight football has already been set. The Castle Lager Premier Soccer League 2026 season will kick off on February 28 with the Castle Challenge Cup featuring league champions Scottland and holders Dynamos.
League matches will follow from the weekend of March 6 to 8. The Chibuku Super Cup, the country’s biggest knockout competition, is scheduled to start on August 5.
The league campaign is expected to conclude on November 21, with the Soccer Stars selection on November 24. The Chibuku Super Cup final will be played on November 28, while the Soccer Stars Awards Ceremony is pencilled in for December 04.
The PSL also announced that fixtures for the 2026 season will be released tomorrow, giving clubs time to prepare.
For Hwange players, preparation begins with a simpler demand: being paid what they are owed.
