SA-based Zim players in limbo

Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
FORMER Warriors captain Method Mwanjali headlines a list of Zimbabwe international footballers whose careers continue to be in limbo after virtually being left clubless in South Africa by the time the transfer window closed.
Mwanjali and six others — defenders Lincoln Zvasiya, Thomas Sweswe and Gilbert Mapemba, striker Nyasha Mushekwi and midfielders Lionel Mtizwa and Peter Moyo — will not be in action at least until January when the next window opens.

Former CAPS United defender Mwanjali, who captained the Warriors to Cosafa Senior Challenge Cup success in 2009, had reverted to being a Mamelodi Sundowns player when his loan spell at Mpumalanga Black Aces expired.

But Mwanjali soon found out that he was not in Sundowns’ coach Pitso Mosimane’s plans for the 2014-15 Absa Premiership season.

Mwanjali is however, not the only player singing the blues in South Africa with his ex-Warriors centre back partner Sweswe also still without a club after being offloaded by Bidvest Wits.

Sweswe’s best years since his return to the South African top-flight game in 2009 were spent at Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs.

But a nagging knee injury has left the former Dynamos, Highlanders and Mwana Africa man struggling for both fitness and a deal with a club after Wits found him to be excess to their requirements this season.

Mushekwi, who had a stint in Belgium playing for KV Oostende where he had been loaned by Sundowns, had his European stay cut short owing to a knee injury in March.

When he reverted to being a Sundowns player, he found out that he was not in Mosimane’s plans prompting the former CAPS United hit man to switch his focus on a possible return to Belgium.

But Mushekwi has since June been battling to regain full fitness before he can think of attending any trials with the European clubs he is targeting.

The striker, however, remains a Sundowns player is he still contractually bound to the reigning South African champions.

Mtizwa, who has since been released by the Brazilians and paid off from the remainder of his contract, has been looking to start afresh from home.

Repected player agent and Mtizwa’s manager Gibson Mahachi confirmed yesterday that the midfielder had since been paid off by Sundowns.

Mahachi, however said the player was still to decide on his next move, now that he is a free agent.

“Lionel is not attached to any club at the moment . . . he was released by Sundowns and they paid him off but he still has to decide what he wants to do next, whether he wants to continue playing or whether he wants to venture into something else that is not playing,’’ Mahachi said.

Mahachi also expressed concern with the fact that a number of players who had found the going tough in South Africa had opted to stay sidelined rather than return home and revive their careers.

“There is nothing coming their way at the moment. I believe these youngsters should come back home and revive their careers if things don’t work out the way they would have expected them to. As a player one cannot afford to spend the whole year just sitting,’’ Mahachi said.

Mahachi also spoke about Zvasiya and said the former Aces Youth Academy player had also been released by Kaizer Chiefs and that Amakhosi were currently finalising the paper work after the Soweto giants’ coach Stuart Baxter ruled him out of his foreign quota.

“Zvasiya was undergoing a process of being released by Chiefs and like I said nothing yet in the way of offers has come from any other club.

“Thomas I am not sure what is going on with him but it could be the case of his troublesome injury holding things. Nyasha would also need to be fit again before he can look for a club,’’ Mahachi said.

Another former CAPS United son Mapemba has also spent the better part of the season club hunting after he was offloaded by Moroka Swallows.

It is also not immediately clear what the future holds for dreadlocked midfielder Moyo who had attracted the interest of Mpumalanga Black Aces while playing for Warriors during the African Nations Championships in Cape Town at the start of the year.

Moyo suffered the ignominy of having been left out of the final Aces squad for 2014-15 despite having been part of Amazayoni for much of their pre-season.

It is understood that while Moyo may have impressed some club officials while turning out for the Warriors during the CHAN tournament, the player did not do much to convince veteran coach Clive Barker to take him on board and make him the fourth Zimbabwean on the Aces books.