admin
Sports Reporter
FORMER Zimbabwe international defender Gilbert Mapemba looks like the latest player to trace his roots back to CAPS United after a spell in South Africa. Mapemba has been training with the Green Machine with a view to rejoining the club at the beginning of next season.
He was allowed to train with the squad after impressing the club’s technical team, led by Lloyd Chitembwe, whose return to the Green Machine appears to have brought some life into the Harare giants.
CAPS United have won twice, and drawn once, collecting seven out of a possible nine points, including an impressive performance in a 3-1 win over Highlanders in their last match, under Chitembwe’s tutelage.
The coach’s contract only runs until the end of the season but if he can impress the club’s bosses, with a good run, then he could be handed the job to lead the Green Machine next year.
“Gidza (Mapemba) has been training with us and he is looking sharp and has not only been impressing the coaches but even some of us, the younger players, showing us that we still have a lot to learn in this game and you need such players in the squad who always remind you that you still have a lot to learn,” a CAPS United player told The Herald.
“When you look at the work that Gidza puts in at training then you understand why he was able to make it in a foreign team and I think, for us, it’s a privilege that we have him, and also Yellow (Method Mwanjali) as part of the squad.
“These are experienced guys and every day you learn something from them and it’s really an exciting time for us and the club and it’s not a coincidence really that their arrival appears to have lifted the mood in the camp as we, the younger players, know that we have to work extra hard if we are to retain our places.
“You can also see that the results have been changing, for the better, and it’s a credit to the coach, who has made us believe that we can compete against anyone in this country, and also wants us to be good enough to be playing for the national teams and, every day, you can see that we are learning something different and important.
“But you also have to give the veterans the credit because they give us a lot of tips about what it means to play for such a big club and how we should conduct ourselves and we have been enjoying life in recent weeks.”
Mwanjali was unveiled during the mid-season transfer window but cannot play for the Green Machine, a team he captained in the past, until next year because the club could not get enough slots to fit the former Warriors’ defender.
However, his commitment to duty has seen him training with the club every day they hold their sessions while also travelling for their assignments, whether at home or away.
Mwanjali spent the past six years in South Africa but was frustrated, towards the end of his spell in that country, when he was considered excess baggage by Mamelodi Sundowns.
He was forced to train on his own, at some point, and then loaned to Mpumalanga Black Aces before he decided that he would be better off playing his football back home.
There are reports that some South African teams are still interested in his services but, for now, Mwanjali’s focus is on making sure that he keeps himself in shape hoping to wear the green-and-white CAPS United strip again when the next transfer window opens.
Meanwhile, the CAPS United camp was plunged into mourning on Monday when their cheerleader, popularly known as Monica Sele, passed away in Chitungwiza.
Such was her influence, from the stands, that club president, Farai Jere, yesterday went to her parents’ home, at House Number 5884, New Canaan in Highfield, Harare, to pay his last respects.
“Our fans have been special amid all the challenges that we have faced as a club and Monica was one of the most dedicated supporters in our family,” Jere said.
“When you look at what we have gone through, the fact that we are still getting fans who believe in this club and are coming to the stadium to cheer the boys, knowing that we are trying to get it right and the signs are looking good, I think it is important that we pay tribute to them for the role they have been playing.
“There is unity among of our fans right now and they all want to see to it that we succeed and they have been giving us a lot of support and it’s sad that we have lost Monica when we have started to turn the corner, thanks to the efforts of the coaching team and the players.
“We want to let her know that we will always cherish what she did for CAPS United, and we will try to win trophies so that her soul may rest in peace.”
CAPS United’s bitter rivals, Dynamos, were also plunged into mourning on Monday when they lost one of their most dedicated fans, Tendai Makoni, who died in the capital.
Makoni was one of the leaders of the Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters Association and will be buried at Warren Hills this morning at 11am.
Online Reporter