Sawu, Ndabambi enter How Mine’s coaching race

How Mine won promotion into the country’s elite league the Castle Lager Premiership after winning the Zifa Southern Region Division One Soccer League title last year.

The gold miners’ preparations for the new season seem to be going at a snail’s pace as they are yet to appoint a head coach who will guard them in their maiden season in the topflight.

Impeccable sources said the executive was divided on who to hire following the interviews which they allegedly conducted last week with ex-Premiership Coach of the Year Philani “Beefy” Ncube and former Highlanders, Chicken Inn and FC Platinum assistant coach Philani Mabhena.

Ncube and Mabhena according to sources, were favourites for the How Mine job but some members within the Mettalion Gold funded club executive pushed to have more candidates interviewed for the coaching post.

“As you read in the papers last week, the executive had finished its interviews and they were supposed to announce the coach last Friday but nothing has been done. Some executive members said they felt that there is a need to invite more candidates but time is running out and if you look clubs are already signing players and at the end of the day we will end up getting discarded players.

“Since Monday the executive has been meeting trying to wrap up the issue and I think Sawu should be interviewed on Wednesday (today) together with Ndabambi,” said the source.

The source said the executive wants a coach who will be a full-time employee of the company.

He said concerns had been raised on Ncube who works for the Bulawayo City Council but after looking at his curriculum vitae he submitted, the executive noted that he managed to juggle around his football career within his full-time job.

Ncube has had coaching stints at the now defunct Njube Sundowns, Chicken Inn, Zimbabwe Saints and Quelaton. At all these clubs, he managed to hold training sessions in the mornings and afternoons.

Another leading contender for the job Mabhena, has seen the heat in the topflight and once assisted Ncube at Chicken Inn before joining Zvishavane’s FC Platinum.

Mabhena has also worked under Madinda Ndlovu, the late Benjamin Moyo and former national team coach Rahman Gumbo.

At one time he was FC Platinum’s acting coach following the untimely death of Moyo in 2011before the Mimosa Mine sponsored club hired Gumbo.

Sawu, the national Under-17 assistant coach assisted Willard Khumalo at Zimbabwe Saints in 2011 and later went on to concentrate on his Rising Stars Academy.

He confirmed that he had been in touch with How Mine.

“They (How Mine) haven’t got back to me yet. At the moment I’m in a meeting can you call me later,” Sawu said.

Ndabambi said he would be coming to Bulawayo to meet the gold miners.

“I submitted my cv to How Mine and I should be coming there for an interview,” said Ndabambi.

The nomadic gaffer who prefers to be called “a well travelled coach” has understudied a number of veteran coaches including former national team gaffer Clemens Westerhof during his 2002 stint with Harare United, the late Benjamin Moyo, Ali “Baba” Dube, Gishon Ntini, Joey Antipas, former Highlanders double championship winning coach the late Eddie May, Cosmas “Tsano” Zulu and Beavan Gwamure.

How Mine could pay dearly for their ill-preparedness and the delay in hiring a coach is likely to have an impact on their start of the season.

Repeated efforts to get a comment from their chairman Mlondolozi Nkomo proved difficult as has been the case in the last two weeks, he was not picking up his phone.