Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira
Zimpapers Sports Hub
FORMER champions SIMBA Bhora are asking their supporters for patience after a rapid unravelling of the squad that delivered a third-place finish in last season’s title challenge, a break up that has unfolded in public and at speed just weeks before the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League kicks off.
Within days, the Shamva based club confirmed the exits of Junior Makunike, Donald Mudadi and Boid Mutukure to newly promoted Hardrock. Soon after, Emmanuel Ziocha, last season’s Soccer Star of the Year second runner up, and striker Isaskar Gurirab sealed moves to champions Scottland.
Five senior players gone. Two rival clubs strengthened. One defending champion left reshaping itself under pressure.
The departures have landed against a backdrop of further instability. Coach Joel Luphahla, who guided Simba Bhora to a third place finish walked away at the end of the year and resurfaced at FC Platinum. His exit reopened a familiar chapter for a club that has lived through rapid change since its rise to the top flight.
Club spokesperson Charles Nyatsine insists the situation is neither new nor terminal. He points to last season, when Simba Bhora lost six players and still spent much of the year leading the title race.
“We went through this same phase last season. We lost six players and yet we almost grabbed the championship,” Nyatsine said. “The fans should remain optimistic and trust the process. Players come and go no matter how much you want them to stay. Contract law will always prevail.”
Nyatsine argues that Simba Bhora’s recruitment history supports his confidence. He cites past signings who arrived with little profile and left as league winners or transfer assets.
“There are many players out there who want to showcase their talent. Who knew Machope before he came to Simba Bhora?” he said. “Believe me, we are going to replace them with equally good players.”
The club has moved quickly on the technical front. Mandla Mpofu, formerly of Highlanders and one of the most experienced coaches on the local circuit, has been appointed to replace Luphahla. Mpofu inherits a thinner squad, heightened expectations and a fan base uneasy about the scale of departures.
“Ours is to assure the fans that we are assembling an equally good set of players and technical team,” Nyatsine said. “Our search is not only confined to the local market but even beyond our borders.”
Off the pitch, Simba Bhora are leaning on visible investment to reinforce that message. Renovations are underway at Wadzanai Stadium, with work aimed at improving matchday facilities and protecting a ground that has become central to the club’s identity since promotion.
“We have embarked on renovating our stadium so that it becomes a better facility,” Nyatsine said. “The assurance should not only come from our mouths, but from what is happening on the ground. Safeguarding our brand remains a priority.”
The uncertainty is not over. Soccer Star of the Year finalist Ishe Mauchi is attracting interest from South Africa, while reigning Goalkeeper of the Year William Thole is understood to be a leading target for Hardrock. Either departure would deepen the rebuild Mpofu is already facing.
This is the second major overhaul in as many seasons for Simba Bhora. At the start of last year, the club lost at least 13 first team players, including Walter Musona, Tymon Machope, Vasili Kawe and Talbert Shumba, many of whom followed coach Tonderai Ndiraya out of Shamva.
There is one crucial difference this time. Unlike last season, when several players left as free agents, Simba Bhora have received fees for all five confirmed departures. The unresolved case is Mauchi, whose contract expired on December 31, opening the door to a free transfer if a deal is not struck quickly.
Last season’s campaign still shapes how the club reads its present moment. Simba Bhora led the league for long stretches before a demanding CAF Champions League schedule drained momentum and exposed depth issues late on.
That experience now underpins the belief inside the club that upheaval does not have to derail ambition, but it also sharpens the risks if the rebuild stalls.
