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Noel Munzabwa
WANT-AWAY Mhlume Peacemakers coach Takesure Chiragwi might have all but handed the sugar belt side more than a relegation headache after asking for time off to travel home where he is due to be unveiled as Ngezi Platinum assistant coach.
The former Shabanie Mine mentor was conspicuously absent from the Peacemakers bench as they fell 1-4 to the Tarisai Changara-coached Tambuti FC over the weekend to confirm that indeed he had dumped the side he saved from relegation last season.
Ngezi Platinum are one of the new richly funded mining teams together with consecutive hat-trick league champions FC Platinum and Manica Diamonds that have replaced the fading class of Hwange FC, Shabanie Mine, and now defunct Mhangura.
And the lure of the bucks proved strong enough to wrest Chiragwi away from Peacemakers with slightly less than a year to the end of his contract something that probably could leave the Eswatini side feeling betrayed.
Unveiling will be a mere formality of something already implemented as Chiragwi has already started serving in his new role marking a reunion with his former master at Mhlume Peacemakers then known as Matsapha United as the pre-season roared off this week in Zimbabwe.
Our sister paper, Sunday News had let the cat out of the bag on the appointment of Chiragwi at Platinum.
“(Bongani) Mafu, a holder of a Uefa B, was recently exempted by Zifa to coach in the country’s top flight without the requisite Caf A. He is said to have been eyeing an assistant coach role at Ngezi Platinum Stars when he applied for the exemption but Madamburo have since engaged Takesure Chiragwi to fill up that role,” read the story published on Wednesday.
Though Romeo in William Shakespeare’s love tragedy says “parting is such a sweet sorrow” the unannounced departure could turn out to a bitter agony for the team facing murky waters in the MTN Premier League of Eswatini.
It would seem Chiragwi has been restless for a while with the return to Zimbabwe growing more likely each day and a couple of months ago he was heavily linked with a move to Caps United where he was to be assistant to former Denver Sundowns coach Darlington Dodo.
However, that move fell through to Peacemakers’ benefit.
No official comment could be obtained from the club with Chiragwi’s Swazi and Zimbabwe numbers hitting the voicemail box at the dial.
— @NoelMunzabwa
Online Reporter