Online Reporter
Tendai Chara-Zimpapers Sports Hub
GREY KUFANDADA walked back into the dressing room on the final day of the Northern Region campaign with sweat dripping down his face and a calmness that did not quite match the chaos he had just created.
Four goals in one afternoon, a Golden Boot in his hands, and Agama FC standing on the verge of a dream they had chased all season!
It was the kind of afternoon that turns an unheralded striker into a club legend, the kind that seals a journey he started more than a decade ago on the dusty grounds of Chitungwiza.
This was not his first time lifting a club into the Premier Soccer League (PSL).
He had done it with Arenel Movers in 2023, so he understood how delicate and emotional these moments were.
What he wanted was to feel that surge again, this time in the green of Agama.
“I was at Arenel Movers when the team was promoted from Division One. So, I know the feeling that is associated with winning the championship. I wanted to repeat that feel with Agama,” he said.
He signed for Paul “Popopo” Chimalizeni’s side at the start of the season. From the first whistle, he brought the same steady hunger that marked his time at Arenel.
The supporters warmed up to his sharp movement, quick thinking and a generosity with the ball that made teammates look better. The club did not wait long before declaring him their May Player of the Month, writing: “Grey has been outstanding on the pitch, putting in solid performances, showing great discipline and leading by example. Today, we celebrate his hard work and dedication to Agama Football Club.”
It was a public reminder of how much they valued the forward, around whom they had quietly built the attack.
His 17 goals did the loudest talking, though his assists carried just as much weight.
Some of Tinashe Balakasi’s 15 goals were gifts from Kufandada, who often drifted into small pockets where defenders lost sight of him.
For a striker without a towering frame, positioning became his best weapon.
“Elder,” as he is affectionately known, worked the penalty box with timing and subtlety rather than brute force.
His slight build rarely showed because he compensated with smart runs, a soft first touch and the kind of tactical awareness that makes defenders panic. He could hold the ball, shield it or release it early to keep his teammates moving.
But the season did not glide by. He admitted that the pressure tightened as the title race heated up.
“It was not easy. We were under pressure to win the title. My situation was made worse when I hit poor form during the season’s climax. Until the last day of the season, I had given up on the Golden Boot award.”
Four goals later, he stood on top of the scoring charts. At the same time, Agama stood on top of the league.
His contract ends on December 31, which leaves the striker at a crossroads.
“I am excited that I am back in the PSL. However, my contract will end in December and it is up to the club to extend it or not.
Of all the PSL teams, Agama is my first preference,” he said. Yet even at 32, he has not shut the door on bigger dreams.
“I strongly believe that I still have the legs to play for a foreign club and the national team. I believe in God who makes seemingly impossible things possible.”
His belief comes from a journey that started in 2013 when he impressed scouts during a youth tournament in Chitungwiza.
Division One side Commando Bullets signed him soon after.
Two years later, he moved to Mutoko Traders where he exploded with 14 goals in five months, forcing PSL clubs to take notice. Harare City won the race for his signature. He went on to help the club lift the 2017 Chibuku Super Cup and cemented his place as a dependable forward.
Then came the setback that nearly affected him. Harare City offloaded him and loaned him to Talen Vision.
It felt like a step down, but it became the chapter that revived him.
At Talen Vision, he rediscovered the scoring instinct that had dimmed, finishing as the Southern Region’s top scorer with 15 goals and earning a national team call-up for the 2019 CHAN squad under Zdravko Logarusic.
When the tournament was cancelled due to Covid-19, the blow cut deep.
“I desperately wanted to play for the national team and the cancellation of the tournament greatly affected me. I temporarily quit the game,” he said.
But football pulled him back.
After resurfacing at Adache in Bulawayo and scoring eight goals in 12 matches, Arenel Movers took him in. He powered them into the PSL. A year later, he has done the same for Agama.
He may not shout for attention and he may not dominate conversations, but when the final day demanded a hero, he stepped forward again.
For the second time in two seasons, a PSL door has opened because Grey Kufandada refused to stop believing in the game that shaped him.
