adminGrace Chingoma Sports Reporter
THE return of Moroka Swallows to the South African Premiership brings back memories, for a number of Zimbabwean footballers, from the legendary George Shaya to Evans Gwekwerere.
The club also once provided a home for the late former Warriors players — Edzai Kasinauyo and Adam Ndlovu.
They also signed an unknown, Alois Ngwerume, from a social football side Highdon Raylton, in 2003.
Former Highlanders defender, Bhekithemba Ndlovu, also featured for Moroka Swallows.
The former CAPS United duo of Gilbert Mapemba and Oscar Machapa also played for the Soweto club.
Machapa and Mapemba were part of the team which finished second in the ABSA Premiership in the 2011-2012 season and also won the MTN Cup in 2012.
Ngwerume made history by becoming the first local player to join a professional South African club, without kicking a ball in the top flight-league, when he joined Swallows at the age of 19, on a three-year contract.
Ngwerume rose to stardom during the ZIFA Unity Cup, quickly earning a place in the Young Warriors team.
Moroka Swallows also signed Gwekwerere shortly after he set the local league alight, in the colours of Dynamos, in 2005.
But, things did not work out, as expected.
While Gwekewerere was a flop, the late Kasinauyo was revered at Swallows after spending four seasons there.
He had two stints with the club, sandwiched between a brief spell at FC AK, in the 2006 season.
The Dube Birds bounced back into the top-flight, after gaining automatic promotion from the GladAfrica Championship, over the weekend.
They were in the wilderness of the third tier-division — the ABC Motsepe League — just a season ago.
But, they acquired the franchise of Maccabi this season and sealed their return to the big time with a 3-0 defeat of Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila on Sunday
The club’s flirtation with Zimbabweans began in the ‘70s when legends, George Shaya and the late Shadreck Ngwenya, were on their books.
At the turn of the millennium, Kasinauyo moved to Moroka in 2003.
He went on to play for the club until 2006.
The late midfielder helped the club lift silverware when they won the Absa Cup in 2004.
It earned them a ticket to play in the CAF Confederation Cup.
Together with Ngwerume, they helped the club end a 13-year cup drought after they beat Manning Rangers 3-1 in the final at the Vodacom Park in Bloemfontein.
Even after his retirement, Kasinauyo continued to work closely with the club, linking local players to secure moves to the Dube Birds.
It was also against Swallows, in April 20, that Nyasha Mushekwi produced his breakthrough performance, which earned him his move to foreign clubs.
The big striker turned on a dominant show to help CAPS United beat the Dube Birds, at the Rand Stadium, in a CAF Confederation Cup match.
Four Super Diski sides — Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates, Platinum Stars and Maritzburg United — ended up chasing Mushekwi’s signature.
He later signed for the Brazilians and has been playing for foreign sides since then.
Online Reporter