Online Reporter
Lovemore Dube, Zimpapers Sports Hub
AS each day passes, it is sinking in for Bongani Mafu and Benjani Mwaruwari that they may never see a cent of the US$800 000 awarded to them by a tribunal and later confirmed by the Court of Arbitration in Sport. A Fifa tribunal ruled in their favour and the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld that decision.
Ngezi Platinum Stars, once praised as one of the most professionally run clubs in the Premiership, now finds itself in the middle of a crisis that threatens its entire foundation. Legal debts have piled up, key staff have walked away and the club’s internal systems appear to be stalling at the worst possible time.
The latest setback is the club’s failure to comply with a binding US$196 750 award owed to former assistant coach Mafu under case CAS 2024/A/10880. The deadline passed on November 6, 2025, and Fifa has been asked to step in and enforce sanctions.
Panic around a possible collapse or even withdrawal by Zimplats has grown since coach Takesure Chiragwi left with seven first team players who joined him at CAPS United. Seven departures at once have intensified questions about stability rather than suggesting a coach simply taking familiar faces with him.
Ngezi had long positioned itself as a model of professionalism. That image has crumbled since the club’s 2023 decision to fire Mwaruwari and Mafu, a move now proving costly on every front. The fallout contrasts sharply with the club’s public statement issued on October 5.
Ngezi Platinum Stars declared, “Our Club is built on a foundation of respect, professionalism and discipline. These aren’t just words to us, they’re core to who we are, on and off the pitch.”
The statement followed Chiragwi’s physical confrontation with a player during a tense meeting with Dynamos. Now, legal experts, former staff and even corporate-linked investors say the situation unfolding at Ngezi challenges those values.
The club’s liabilities from arbitration losses stretch back two years and now approach a million dollars. The debt includes US$196 750 plus interest owed to Mafu and US$570 000 owed to Mwaruwari for breach of contract. Legal fees and interest could push the total well above US$1 million.
Ngezi appears to have fallen to procedural mistakes both when dismissing the coaches and when filing submissions at CAS and Fifa. A junior official, speaking anonymously, said, “These were winnable or settleable disputes. Procedural mistakes have cost the club hundreds of thousands. Head office abroad is unhappy.”
Although the club is presented publicly as a community football project, Ngezi Platinum Stars operates within the orbit of Zimplats Holdings Limited as part of its social responsibility programme.
Based on past precedents, Ngezi could face several consequences, which include a transfer ban, fines for non-compliance and additional sanctions that continue escalating until full payment is made.
When contacted, Roberta Katunga for Ngezi Platinum said, “Ngezi Platinum Stars Football Club wishes to clarify that the Club is an independently governed entity with its own board and operational structures. Zimplats is not involved in the Club’s management or decision-making processes and therefore has no role in football-related contractual, governance, or compliance matters. All strategic decisions concerning the Club’s future rest with its Board, which is focused on ensuring the Club meets its obligations and continues its operations.”
She rejected any suggestion of dissolution.
“There is no consideration or discussion regarding the dissolution of NPS FC. Player and staff movements occur in every football season, and while the Club is navigating internal transitions, operations are continuing and preparations for the next season and obligations remain on track.
“Ngezi Platinum Stars FC remains committed to resolving its internal matters professionally and in accordance with applicable football governance standards,” Katunga wrote late last week.
Asked about the club’s next steps, Mafu’s lawyer Ndaba Nyathi said, “I’m not at liberty to discuss hypotheticals or enforcement tactics at this stage. Coach Mafu’s priority is resolution, not speculation.”
Mafu and Mwaruwari yesterday declined to comment and referred all questions to Nyathi, who is their agent.
