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Noel Munzabwa
FORMER Gunners premiership winning assistant coach George Madira came within a day of missing his side Piggs Peak Black Swallows’ ultimate promotion to premiership and title winning after the expiry of his work permit a day before the deciding tie against City Warriors.
If anything, the expired work permit almost washed down the drain Madira’s tireless season effort and had been told on Friday that once he exited Eswatini he would not be able to re-enter the country — a result of a botched up blunder within the club corridors.
To remain in the country legally and watch his boys through to gold, Madira had to exit Matsamo Border into South Africa’s Jeppes Reef then return on a 30-day visitor’s permit and as of Wednesday the club director, Charles Matsebula had not submitted Madira’s work permit extension application to the Home Affairs ministry.
Under normal circumstances, application for work permit renewal is done at least a month before expiry something raising suspicion that failure to renew Madira’s work permit may have been a calculated move. Had it not been for a two-week break, promotion and title race could have been won before work permit expiry.
When contacted, Madira refused to be drawn to shed more light on work permit saga, preferring to talk of the joy.
“I don’t want to talk of the work permit issue, it’s an in-house thing, why not talk of the promotion and title winning? I am glad my boys have won it and now we will sit down with the director to map out the future,” said Madira.
Taking from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet “parting is such a sweet sorrow, we meet to part and part to meet,” one is authoritatively sure the Swallows-Madira romance has reached the dead end.
Away from the drama, if there is something that Zimbabwe-born coaches have mastered the winning formula in Eswatini, it just had to be the MTN National First Division with Madira becoming the latest addition to the list of golden boys.
The former Gunners coach made it three Zimbabwe-born coaches in the last four seasons to bag the MTN NFD title after Tarisai Changara and Saul Chaminuka and made it a consecutive four to gain premiership promotion in the same four seasons.
Changara led Tambuti to the elite league in 2015/ 16, Chaminuka did it with Matsapha United in 2016 /17. Masocha bagged the 2017/ 18 promotion berth with Mbabane Citizens.
Madira May have gone into the weekend anticipating confirmation of promotion to the premiership notching up a 6-1 win over City Warriors but defeats to the chasing pack of Tinyosi, Madlenya and Milling Hotspurs sealed the championship doubling the joy in this northern part of Eswatini.Spurs suffered a 1-2 loss to Hub Sundowns while Madlenya were beaten 1-0 by Seven Dreams. Tinyosi went down 1-2 to Hlatikhulu Tycoons.
Even if second-placed Spurs win both their remaining games, they will not match Black Swallows’ 45-point tally. If Spurs win both their games, they will end on 44 points while Tinyosi can finish on 41.
Online Reporter