Online Reporter
Veronica Gwaze-Zimpapers Sports Hub
PRINCE TAFIREMUTSA keeps his head down and his gloves ready.
As Dynamos limp through one of their worst league campaigns in memory, the goalkeeper has been the one constant spark in a year short on bright spots.
The numbers are brutal: four wins, 10 draws and 11 defeats from 25 matches.
They have spent weeks marooned in 17th place with 22 points, seven adrift of the safety line, and even back-to-back wins in their last two games against Kwekwe United and MWOS could not lift them from the relegation zone.
The stark reality is that Dynamos need to keep winning, while hoping for collapses from rivals also trapped in the red zone.
It is an unlikely equation for a side that has scored only 10 times all season, six from open play and four from the spot, while relegation is slowly becoming a reality.
And yet, in this bleak situation, Tafiremutsa’s calm defiance stands out.
He is not the one who belts out the dressing room chants or waves his arms in front of the cameras.
The goalkeeper is quiet and reserved, but when the whistle goes, his performances speak louder than words.
“Being a goalkeeper for Dynamos is not easy. Expectations are high and scrutiny is inevitable, so to navigate all that, you just focus on improving your art,” he says.
Even in defeat, he has spared his team embarrassment.
In the Chibuku Super Cup preliminary round against Yadah, he twice denied Innocent Mucheneka’s curling free-kicks and turned away a string of open play threats.
This was before the Chibuku Cup first round against Simba Bhora a fortnight ago.
In the match against Yadah, Tafiremutsa’s safe hands kept the Glamour Boys in the fight. He was, however, substituted with eight minutes left by deputy Tatenda Makoni, a penalty specialist who then helped DeMbare win the shootout and secure a quarter-final place.
It has been the same in the league.
Against MWOS at Rufaro, Tafiremutsa’s composure preserved a 1-0 win despite Dynamos offering little in attack.
In the Harare Derby, which ended 1-1, he was the busiest man on the field, pulling off match-saving stops that kept DeMbare in it until the final whistle.
“Being a goalkeeper means understanding that basically most of the team’s burden is on your shoulders,” Tafiremutsa says.
“I started my career as an infield player, so I understand what it means to play in and out of the goalposts, and it helped me a lot.”
His journey began in Warren Park at just seven years of age, playing spirited street football before impressing school coaches.
At nine, CAPS United brought him into their junior system, where he often played against older opponents.
By 17, he was training with their senior team, though without a contract, and kept his skills sharp in weekend social games for a bit of cash.
One of those matches proved decisive; his social side faced Herentals’ Division One team, and his performance caught the eye of club owner Innocent Benza.
A contract offer followed, marking the start of his professional career.
In 2022, Tafiremutsa joined Dynamos, initially as an understudy to Tymon Mvula. Now, he is the first choice, with Makoni and new signing Sitali Nyambe behind him.
The battle for survival is congested, with as many as nine other teams, ZPC Kariba, Highlanders, CAPS United, Bikita Minerals, GreenFuel, Chicken Inn, Manica Diamonds, Triangle and Yadah, still looking nervously over their shoulders.
The relegation fight could go right down to the final day.
Tafiremutsa knows exactly what is at stake.
“A cup game or a league game, when it’s this tight, there’s no room for mistakes, lest you be remembered as the man who betrayed the team,” he says.
For a player who has built his career on keeping his head while others lose theirs, that is a challenge he will face with the same quiet resolve.
When the Glamour Boys host GreenFuel this afternoon at Rufaro, the goalminder will be standing tall, fighting for another victor, with the hope of escaping relegation.
