Jaure finds new fight in Lowveld

Eddie Chikamhi

Zimpapers Sports Hub

HE has been to the mountaintop. He has been to rock bottom. Now, deep in the stillness of the Lowveld, 500 kilometres from home, Partson Jaure is quietly writing a new chapter.

At 35, with his best years behind him and the bruises of past disappointments still fresh, the veteran defender could have chosen comfort.

Instead, he chose Triangle United, a club scrapping for survival in the Premier Soccer League’s basement. Eight months ago, Jaure did not know if he would play again.

After leaving champions Simba Bhora and missing out on a new club during the January transfer window, he found himself in limbo, watching from the sidelines as the game moved on without him.

But then came the call from Genesis “Kaka” Mangombe.

“I am still adjusting to the new environment. Life is a bit quiet here, but it’s good because you can concentrate on the job at hand,” Jaure tells Zimpapers Sports Hub.

“It feels good to be playing again. In January, I was supposed to sign with another team after leaving Simba Bhora, but it didn’t go according to plan. Then I trained with Dynamos, but they were taking too long to make a decision.

“So, I ended up here in the Lowveld after receiving a call from coach Kaka. We knew each other from Dynamos, where he came in as assistant to Hebert Maruwa. We worked together for two or so months, and then I left for Simba Bhora.

Jaure said he respects Mangombe.

“He is someone I respect. So, when I received his call, I obliged, despite Triangle being in the relegation zone,” he said. “I trained with them for one-and-a-half months, and when the window opened, I was registered. So, I am excited to be playing again.”

Jaure’s move was not without sacrifice.

His wife and three children remain in Harare, while he toils in Chiredzi, determined to make his final playing years count.

“I am here because it’s work. I felt there was no need to change my children’s schools and the environment they are used to,” he said.

“My wife also works in Harare. She understands we are in this situation because of work. But whenever I get the opportunity, I go back home to be with them.

“I’ve got three kids. One is in Grade Six, the other is in Grade One, and the last one is three-and-a-half years old. These are the people who keep me going.

“I want my family to get the best that we can afford in life. My children should not experience the kind of life that I lived. So, I am preparing a future for them.”

It has been a long, winding road.

Jaure’s football journey began at 14 in the Dynamos junior ranks. After loan spells at AMC and La Liga, he broke into the DeMbare senior team in 2012 during the club’s golden run under Callisto Pasuwa, featuring in three of their four straight title wins.

But it has not been all glory.

In 2016, he returned from South Africa after Pretoria University, his club at the time, was relegated.

A move to Orlando Pirates was on the table, but the long shadow of the Asiagate scandal dashed those hopes.

However, he kept going, playing for Ngezi Platinum Stars, Zambia’s Buildcon, Manica Diamonds and Dynamos, where he eventually wore the captain’s armband.

He also earned caps for the senior national team. Then came 2020, and a near death experience. A horrific car crash left him unconscious for two weeks. He needed surgery. Somehow, he came back.

But more setbacks followed. In 2023, Dynamos let him go unceremoniously and he found himself at Simba Bhora, where he spent the final months of 2024 on the sidelines as the club powered to their first league title.

“It was disappointing, but instead of that pulling me down, it actually pushed me to work even harder,” he said.

“I am still Partson Jaure. I believe in my talent, and nothing can take that away from me. So, I would want to prove again that I can still make a difference. I think I am in that space to work hard; I want the best version of myself back.

“This is a good chance to reboot my career. I am glad here I found familiar faces like Thabani Kamusoko, Ali Sadiki, Munyaradzi Mawadza and others whom I have played with before.”

“The integration has been very smooth and I am adjusting quickly. The idea is to be the best that I can, and it all boils down to hard work and commitment.”

For now, the mission is survival, nothing more, nothing less. Triangle are still deep in the danger zone, but they have begun clawing their way back, point by point.

“When you arrive at a team that is at the bottom like this, it challenges you to push beyond your limits. At the end of the day, you get satisfaction if the team escapes relegation,” said Jaure.

“We are working very hard for that. We are focused on one goal, to survive relegation, and I think you can see we have been collecting points and we are working our way up. It’s still a long way to go though.”