dyton mupawaenda
Langton Nyakwenda
EIGHT of the last 10 Premier Soccer League titles have been won by coaches who hail from Chitungwiza.
The dormitory town is a traditional football hub that has consistently churned out talented players and gifted coaches.
Record-breaking gaffer Kalisto Pasuwa, who won the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League with Dynamos from 2011 to 2014, is from Chitungwiza.
Lloyd Chitembwe, who was raised in Chitungwiza’s Unit A, clinched the league title with CAPS United in 2016, before Norman Mapeza, who also grew in the same neighbourhood, made sure the town’s dominance continued.
Mapeza has three championships (2017, 2018, 2022) with FC Platinum.
Joey Antipas and Lizwe Sweswe — who clinched it with Chicken Inn (2015) and FC Platinum (2019), respectively — are the only coaches who won the championship, but do not trace their roots to Chitungwiza.
Also, quite a number of players from Chitungwiza ply their trade in the Premier Soccer League, including last season’s Soccer Star of the Year finalists Devine Mhindirira of Highlanders and Nelson Chadya of Ngezi Platinum Stars.
Innocent Mucheneka (FC Platinum); Phineas Bamusi, Ben Musaka and Innocent Zambezi (CAPS United); Chris Charakupa and Moreblessing Mushangwe (Cranborne Bullets); Ralph Kawondera and Talent Chamboko (Manica Diamonds); as well as Obey Mwerahari (Green Fuel) are all from the same town.
It is the same story with the ZPC Kariba trio of Leeroy Murape, Samuel Makawa and Tinotenda Chiunye; as well as Tichaona Chipunza (Simba Bhora); and the Triangle duo of Wellington Taderera and Tapiwa Sibanda.
When it is off-season, some of these players usually meet every morning at a ground in Zengeza 5 to play a small-sided game popularly known as “Chemonaz” (morning game).
Strangely, they will be sharing space with a car park, a church and brickmakers.
Yet the Zengeza 5 Ground is a pitch that honed skills of many soccer players.
Football legends like 1996 Soccer Star of the Year Stewart Murisa, Alois Bunjira, Lloyd Mutasa and Murape Murape played at this ground during their formative years.
Hackney FC, a team that later became a Premiership side at the turn of the millennium before it disappeared from the scene, started its football journey at the Zengeza 5 Ground.
Sadly, the ground is up for sale.
It could suffer the same fate as many other grounds that have been converted into residential areas by the local authorities.
Chitungwiza previously had functional grounds at Chigovanyika, St Mary’s (Ground B), Chemhanza, Zengeza 2 (Nyatsime), Zengeza 3, Zengeza 4, Unit M, Unit P and Unit H.
Most of these have been turned into residential stands. Unit M Ground, which used to be the home of Darryn T’s Under-16 side in the 1990s, has disappeared. A haphazard settlement now lies where it previously was.
Chemhanza Stadium in St Mary’s, with its lush green surface and decent changing rooms, was good enough to host Division One matches before the local authorities turned it into Manyame Phase 4 residential area.
Chitungwiza Town Council’s latest decision to sell the Zengeza 5 Ground to a pension scheme has riled the community, with ex-footballers from the town now fronting a petition that seeks to block the move.
“We wonder: What is it with council? Are the councillors at Chitungwiza Town Council really concerned about football development?” questioned former CAPS United star Bunjira.
“The story of Chemhanza Stadium was sad and now the council wants to do the same with Zengeza 5. We need Area Zone football for the development of the game but at this rate, our kids will have nowhere to play.”
Former players like Alois and Allan Godzi; Ralph and Raphael Kawondera; and Gift Mudangwe enjoyed the convenience of Chemhanza Stadium before graduating into seasoned stars of the game.
“We expect council to maintain these grounds, not to sell them,” Humphrey Shumba, a spokesperson of this group, told The Sunday Mail Sport.
“Football is fundamental in the fight against drug abuse, so if council sells a football ground, they are encouraging the young to indulge in drug abuse because they will be idle.
“Residents and former footballers were disturbed by this development.
“Last Sunday, former footballers and residents held a meeting and we are going to petition council to stop the sale of this ground,” he said.
A few years ago, Chitungwiza Town Council blocked Yadah owner Walter Magaya from renovating Chibuku Stadium, which is now an eyesore and a bad advert for the town.
There was a time when Chibuku would host Premier Soccer League clashes involving giants Dynamos, Highlanders and CAPS United, but the venue has now been run down.
At some point, Chibuku was turned into a car park.
Former Air Zimbabwe Jets player Nicodemus Muramba says the conversion of football grounds into residential stands is not a new phenomenon.
“It has been an ongoing crisis since the early 2000s,” he said.
“Chitungwiza had grounds all over when we were growing up. Teams from Harare — including Dynamos, Rufaro Rovers, CAPS United and Zimbabwe Crackers — would bring their juniors here and we would clash.
“This gave us an opportunity to showcase our talents at a young age. So, we are saying it’s a big no to council’s intentions.
“At this rate, it will not be surprising to hear that the Aquatic Complex has also been sold.”
Chitungwiza Town Council spokesperson Lovemore Meya, however, said: “As stated in that advert that was circulated last week, we are still in the objection period, whereby we are inviting residents to raise their concerns, if they have got objections to this issue.
“There is a grace period for residents to come forward with their objections. Thereafter, we can decide what to do based on those objections.”
■ Twitter: @LangtonGuraz
Online Reporter