Mashiri gets Manica Diamonds job

Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
MUTARE-BASED Castle Lager Premiership outfit, Manica Diamonds, have appointed Tafadzwa Mashiri on a one-year contract ahead of the 2026 season, Post Sport has learnt.
The appointment of Mashiri on a substantive basis puts to rest speculation associating the club with several coaches, including Bikita Minerals coach, Wilson Mutekede, Joseph ‘Shaba’ Takarinda, and TelOne gaffer, Hebert ‘Jombano’ Maruwa, among many others.
Manica Diamonds chairman, Masimba Chihowa confirmed the latest appointment.
“We can duly confirm that we have appointed Tafadzwa Mashiri as our head coach for the 2026 season. We have reached this decision after a rigorous analysis of the available names and curriculum vitae. We have no doubt that he is equal to the task. We just need to give him all the support that he needs and ensure that he gets the human resources that he needs to meet our expectations,” said Chihowa. The Manica Diamonds chairman explained that settling for Mashiri was also informed by the coach’s knowledge of the club culture.
“As you are aware, Mashiri is not new to Manica Diamonds. He has been with us for quite some time, and he now has a deeper understanding of the culture and work ethic at Manica Diamonds. This is one of the major reasons that we considered in reaching that decision as a club executive. We did not want to rock the boat by bringing in someone who needs to learn how we operate as a club,” said Chihowa.
It was a nail-biting experience for the Mutare diamond miners as they fought for survival alongside seven other clubs on the final day of the season.
In an interview soon after his appointment, Mashiri expressed confidence that 2026 will be a better season for the Gem Boys.
“I am very happy to be appointed Manica Diamonds coach on a substantive basis. This is something I was eagerly praying for, and now that the club has shown confidence in me, I will play my part to ensure that I make everyone in the Manica Diamonds camp happy. I have no doubt that the 2026 season will be a better season than what we saw in the just-ended season,” said Mashiri.
In a thrilling encounter at Sakubva Stadium on the final day of the season, Manica Diamonds edged past Bikita Minerals with a narrow 1-0 victory, securing their spot in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League for another season.
After ending the season in that very unfamiliar territory, least expected of a club that was so strong on paper, the Mutare-based Castle Lager Premiership side made it clear that they will make wholesome changes within its rank and file going into the 2026 season.
In the five seasons they have been part of the domestic top-flight league, Manica Diamonds have never survived the chop on the final day of the season. In fact, ending the season on second position in 2023, reasonably created great expectations of much bigger things to be achieved going forward, including hope for a maiden Premier Soccer League title coming down to Mutare.
Back then Chihowa acknowledged that this was an unfamiliar territory for the club.
“Admittedly, we ended the season in a position that we never thought we would find ourselves in. As a club, we align ourselves to the vision of our sponsor and the vision of our sponsor is being victorious in our endevours.
“Therefore, it is against this background that we really need to sit down, introspect and come up with realistic strategies that will see us achieve our set targets.
“One of the things that we cannot run way from is that of human resources. We just need to do an overhaul of our team and make sure we assemble a competitive team, made up players that are willing to fight for the name of the club and the city,” he said.