Online Reporter
Zimpapers Sports Hub
FOR goalkeeper Nelson Chadya, standing beside Terrence Dzvukamanja and former coach Tonderai Ndiraya on Scottland’s greatest afternoon felt like a door opening back into his own past.
The three of them had walked this road before, only this time the prize was bigger, the noise louder and the joy deeper.
Scottland had just rewritten the league’s history books, lifting the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League (PSL) title in their debut campaign and snapping a record that had survived for 41 years.
Their rise under Ndiraya carried a quiet force. Scottland stayed focused through a season that swung wildly at times and finished the job with two games untouched.
When they received the newly modelled PSL trophy from First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa at Ascot recently, the trio instinctively drew close, sharing a moment that belonged to the present but carried the weight of everything they had survived since 2016.
That year had introduced them to the country in bold fashion.
Terrence Dzvukamanja
Ndiraya stepped into his first head coaching role at FC Platinum, while Chadya and Dzvukamanja arrived in the top flight after guiding Ngezi Platinum to promotion.
Their impact was instant. Ngezi finished a strong sixth in the league and crowned their season by winning the Chibuku Super Cup.
The success scattered them in different directions. Dzvukamanja moved to Bidvest Wits in South Africa, while Ndiraya and Chadya stayed in Mhondoro a little longer before their own paths eventually shifted.
Chadya became a fixture, guarding the posts until he helped Ngezi lift the league title in 2023.
Nelson Chadya
Ndiraya claimed his own success with Simba Bhora the following year. Their stories kept moving, but this season Ndiraya called them back, pulling experience, trust and old chemistry into Scottland’s stunning run.
Watching them side by side as the Mabvuku side was crowned at Ascot felt like a reunion written long before any of them realised it.
“I am thrilled to have won the league title with Scottland,” said Chadya. “And to do it with my old mate Terrence (Dzvukamanja) and coach Ndiraya is exceptional.
“The last time we were together at Ngezi Platinum Stars in 2016, we won the Chibuku Super Cup. It was an outstanding year for us as we were only making our debut. It’s so pleasing to then win the league title again with two of the guys who I was with, then smiling together with me.”
Ndiraya, who stepped aside soon after guiding Scottland to the Promised Land, said the memories will stay with him for a long time, and scenes at Ascot gave him something he felt they had been building towards since their early years.
