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Dazzy Kapenya

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
FORMER national team players Dazzy Kapenya and Richard Choruma have urged Zimbabwean players to make informed decisions before joining South African clubs.

The pair said some deals have destroyed footballers’ careers across Limpopo.

Kapenya and Choruma played in the South African Premiership for Manning Rangers and Dynamos respectively.

“Most Zimbabwean players long to play in South Africa, but many at times make wrong moves. They rush to South Africa and struggle to settle or command first team places and their careers nosedive in the process. There are a number of players whose careers took a drastic turn after being pushed to South Africa before they were ripe,” said Choruma.

Some players that seemed destined for greater heights only for their careers to suffer after moving to South Africa include ex-Dynamos midfielder Denver Mukamba, former How Mine striker Simba Sithole, Dynamos striker Rodrick Mutuma and ex-Bosso duo of Milton Ncube and Peter “Rio” Moyo.

Mukamba joined Bidvest Wits in 2013 after being crowned Soccer Star of the Year in 2012, but struggled at the club. He spent the better part of his contract on loan at Jomo Cosmos and Pretoria University before returning to Dynamos at the beginning of the 2016 season.

Mukamba failed to regain his yesteryear form at DeMbare, with the coach Lloyd Mutasa even trying him as a striker.

Mutuma joined Bloemfontein Celtics in 2013, but flopped and returned to Dynamos in the 2015 season. Sithole joined Ajax Cape Town in February 2014 and was offloaded six months later.

Moyo moved from Highlanders to Mpumalanga Black Aces in June 2014 and the club released him to Witbank Spurs two months later. He made cameo appearances for Witbank Spurs, but the dreadlocked midfielder retraced his footsteps back to Zimbabwe in July 2016.

Moyo will be hoping to revive his career at How Mine in the 2017 season.

After failing to get better deals in South Africa following the end of his two-year contract with Ajax Cape Town, Ncube opted to join How Mine in June this year. The utility player, who was used as a left-back by Ajax Cape Town, had been hoping to force his way back into the Warriors squad for the 2017 African Cup of Nations finals in Gabon.

Ncube was quoted saying: “I lost my place in the national team because of injuries. The lack of game time at Ajax also didn’t help at all; that’s why it’s important to move to a club where I can start playing regular soccer again.”

The latest player, whose career seems to have suffered, is Knox Mutizwa, who joined Bidvest Wits in July, but is yet to make his South African Premier Soccer League debut.

Mutizwa featured a couple of times for Wits’ developmental side that played in the Multi-Choice Diski Challenge, the South African reserve league.

His countrymen at Kaizer Chiefs, Edmore Chirambadare and Mitchelle Katsvairo, who moved to South Africa with him, have been regulars for Chiefs.

“When you advise some of these boys, they think we are jealous, but we will simply be trying to warn them about the risks of going out there when they are not yet ready. Sometimes even agents are to blame because all they want is to make a quick buck, but leave the player out there alone,” Kapenya said.

A number of local players who include Bulawayo City’s Manuel Mandiranga, Chicken Inn’s quartet of Teenage Hadebe, Raphael Kutinyu, George Majika and Lawrence Mhlanga as well as Highlanders’ Prince Dube and Peter Muduhwa are said to have attracted interest from South African clubs.

FC Platinum’s Winston Mhango reportedly turned down offers from South African First Division clubs, opting to renew his stay at the Zvishavane-based side.

@ZililoR