Overlooked for the school team but good enough for national side

GROWING up in the football-crazy dormitory town of Chitungwiza and rubbing shoulders with some of Zimbabwe’s finest talents, the coast was clear for Jonah Chigwinya’s talent to reach zenith heights.

Born at Nyaure Clinic in Domboshawa outside Harare, on 8 August 1971 to Richard Pioneer  and Maria Hamba Guzha, Chigwinya started playing football at the age of eight in the dusty streets of Chitungwiza.

His parents had just acquired a house there and his family had settled in the town which would later make him one of Zimbabwe’s best football exponents.

“I started playing as a defender at Chinembiri Primary School. In that team, I played with Norman Mapeza.

We were in the second team. He was my number nine (striker) and his brother Wesley played as number 10, Frost Dzangare was in midfield and Kudzanayi Nyamadzawo at right wing,” said Chigwinya who starred for Airforce of Zimbabwe side Blue Swallows and Chapungu.

He was so good that he made it to the Soccer Star of the Year calendar in 1997, played for the Warriors, and was among the top goal scorers for a number of seasons.

After Chinembiri Primary School he proceeded to Zengeza Two High School where he admits his football journey shaped up.

“Things started shaping up at Zengeza Two. One afternoon Mapeza came to me and said there was a guy who wanted us to play for his team in the Bonar Coca-Cola Juniors’ Soccer League. It was a new league.

I agreed and after school we went to Nyatsime College.
“When I arrived at Nyatsime College I found a group of talented players — Lloyd Chitembwe, Innocent Chitembwe, Saidi White, Gilbert Kasukuwerere, Luke Jukulile Petros, Tendai Jambwa, Wesley Mapeza and a guy called Masimba.

The team was called Red Arrows and played in the Under-14s league and that season we finished third on the log,” said Chigwinya.

The following year Chigwinya moved to Chitungwiza Under-14s after the Red Arrows owner shot his wife and committed suicide.

At his new club, he found himself surrounded by great talent. If he was bereft of it, there was bound to be some rubbing off of it on him.

Dzangare, Butler Masango, Darlington Dido, Taona Marikopo, Dudzai Marikopo, Austin Juwayeyi and Darlington Dodo were some of the better players at the club.

Chigwinya was getting regular playing time at club unlike at school where the coach never featured him in the first team.

His reasons were that he felt he was not serious enough with the game.
His flirtation with what would turn out to be great players continued as he joined Sage Strikers before he completed his O-levels where he was teammates with Dynamos legendary player and Zimbabwe coaching great Kalisto Pasuwa.

After writing his final examinations, it appeared all was lost for him in football as he worked for six months but was later shoved to the rural areas where he stayed for many months.

On his return to town, a friend of his who was then a temporary teacher, Farai Fatso took him to Zengeza Three High School.

“I agreed to go back to school and led Zengeza to the Coca-Cola finals  at Churchill High School. We beat Alois Bunjira’s Zengeza One, Stewart Murisa’s Zengeza Two and I was playing for Division side Screentone with (Kalisto) Pasuwa and Dzangare in the Northern Region Division One where I featured as a defender,” said Chigwinya.

Nicknamed Jonah Lomu after the imposing former New Zealand rugby star, the pacey Chigwinya found himself in an anti-climax position moving from Division One to play for Zedprint in Division Four. A businessman was impressed and undertook to pay for Chigwinya’s fees and upkeep.

“Moses Chasweka who was coaching Zedprint invited me to his team. The owner of the team asked Chasweka who I was, and when he was told, he said he was ready to pay everything for me.

He paid my school fees and bought school uniforms. He would give me and others allowances. We got promoted to Division Three,” said Chigwinya.

The coach who recruited him found himself at New Sarum Airbase side Blue Swallows in Division One.
“When I arrived at Blue Swallows I was still a defender but when one of the strikers failed to pitch up for a match, Chasweka recommended to former President of Zimbabwe Canaan Banana who was our coach that he should try me in that position, that was in 1993. The rest is history,” said Chigwinya whose pace and power was a handful for many a defender.

Never short good of talent around him, he was once again with some great talent around him.
“Tauya Murewa, Jonah Murewa, Choddy Chirwa, Alex Chasweka, Maxwell Tom, Joseph Michael, Anderson Maphosa, Sam and Dzino Chakanyuka.

Steve Biko Phiri later took over from President Banana and Moses Chasweka resigned. Tauya left the club too.

I was left with a lot of responsibility on my shoulders to spearhead the attack,” said Chigwinya.
They were promoted to the Premier Soccer League in a season he scored more than 40 goals for his air force side. In his first Premiership season he scored 11 goals.

In the 1997 season, he found himself with 23 league goals and five cup goals to his credit and earned himself a place among the 11 Soccer Stars of the Year.

In the same season, he was invited to  train with the senior national team to face Malawi. The captain Benjamin Nkonjera was so impressed with the Zengeza Express.

“Nkonjera was so impressed with me that he called me to his room and told me that he would organise me a trial in Austria. I thought he was joking but later other players Chamu Musanhu, Kaitano Tembo,

Lloyd Chitembwe and Dumisani Mpofu also told me to keep working harder. I also went to Lesotho with the national team,” said Chigwinya.

He would later get a call from Winston Makamure, Peter Ndlovu’s former agent who disclosed that a trial had been organised for him. Chigwinya paid the price for not taking advice like most local professional footballers — not to play in Money Games.

“I made a mistake and played in the Shelton Zendanewako and Watson Muhoni Memorial Match. There was drama at the Dynamos training session and police had to be called in.

They wanted to arrest Rabson Chisango and Kaitano Tembo warned me of the danger. When I raised my head I saw them chasing Chisango, luckily they never recognised me.

A day later I was summoned to the Airforce of Zimbabwe Headquarters and I was sent to Bulawayo for Military training so that I could be attested,” said Chigwinya.

After training he joined Chapungu and got injured halfway through the season with a tally of 10 goals in 2000. Moses Chunga was his childhood hero and Chigwinya tried to model his play around former Wimbledon forward John Fashanu.

He reckons his best goal was against Caps United in a floodlight game.

“Caps United earned a corner kick. When they took it, my goalkeeper Tapera Maruta went for it. He realised I was lurking in our own box and threw the ball to me.

I collected the ball in the right wing headed towards centreline, left Mpumelelo Dzowa for dead and when Frank Nyamukuta tried to cover, I pushed the ball behind him and released a screamer that caught goalkeeper Ernest Chirambadare unaware. We, unfortunately, lost the game 3-2,” said Chigwinya.

His most memorable match was against Chitungwiza Youths Under-14s. The game ended in a draw. Arrows were leading 4-3 and with a few minutes to go, the late Butler Masango equalised with a ferocious shot.

He considers Musanhu, Kaitano Tembo and Gerald Phiri of Mhangura as the toughest defenders he ever faced. His best attacking mates were Alex Chasweka and Sam Chakanyuka especially when Thamsanqa “Nee” was on the right and Alex on the left.

He regrets making it to the calendar only for sponsors not to publish it following the controversy that had Edelbert Dinha, the favourite, suspended alongside Mercedes Sibanda.

Chigwinya said his brush with hostile fans was when he was playing for Chapungu against Highlanders in Bulawayo.

“It was in the 1998 season. I was on the bench as a substitute. The scoreline was 0-0. My first touch was a header from Maxwell Dube and I scored to silence the vociferous Highlanders supporters.

A few minutes later I scored the second goal but however, it did not count as it was ruled offside. Two minutes before full-time I set up Mbulelo Dube for the second. All hell broke loose and the riot police were called to quell the violence,” he said.

Chigwinya thinks Dylan Chirozvani, Jairos Tapera, Brighton Chandisaita and Melody “Maquohula” Wafawanaka were also  tough nuts to crack in the heart of the Tongogara defence.

He pays tribute to former teammate and best buddy Joseph Michael for encouragement and support in his career. Another memory he shared is playing a Highlanders FC Under 14 featuring Methembe Ndlovu, Melusi, Eric Chifamba and Thabani ‘Makanza’  Khumalo.

“It was my first time to play at Barbourfields Stadium. We lost 3-2, Makanza scored two goals. When we arrived, there was talk about Peter Ndlovu all over on how fast and dangerous he was.

Luckily he did not play on that day as he was drafted into the first team,” said Chigwunya a victim of age-cheating coaches.

Now retired from the Airforce, Chigwinya leaves in South Africa where he is working.