by AKANI CHAUKE
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – DESPITE a lack of opportunities in the country due to non-existence of financial support, dearth of proper grassroots grooming and lack of coherent junior policy, Zimbabwe still boasts talent galore in football.
Another drawback is lack of professional football scouts, a majority who only concentrate in the capital city Harare, and the second city Bulawayo at the expense of pure and undiluted talent in the countryside.
One such young man to watch is 20-year old Wisdom Kwinika, who plays for Eastern Region Division One side, Chiredzi Stars, in the Lowveld.
The striker is yet to catch the eye of national team coaches but is already a household name in the sugar plantation town of Chiredzi, which is located some 500km south-east of Harare.
Born and bred in Guma village, Chikombedzi communal lands in Chiredzi south, Kwinika caught up with CAJ News Africa for an interview.
He said although the first division was not lucrative, his focus is on nurturing his talent.
“I started playing (football) for fun, but now I’m playing professionally. I am not paid yet, but the reason behind this is shortage of sponsors,” Kwinika said.
“My dream premiership team in Zimbabwe is CAPS United while in South Africa it is Kaizer Chiefs,” he disclosed.
Chiefs is home to another Kwinika, Zitha, who plays as a central defender.
The younger Kwinika recalls the game against local Premiership side Triangle, also based in the Lowveld, as the most memorable in his career.
“My memorable game is the match that we played against Triangle United. Because we were playing with a team coming from the Premier League,” he said.
He said his ambition is to play for the Warriors under-20 and under-23, a move which he believes would put his name on the international mark.
“Every player dreams of playing for overseas teams, and I’m no exception,” Kwinika said.
He bemoaned the lack of national scouts that can travel nationwide scouting for natural talent arguing such developments made gifted players sidelined from playing for the national teams or Premiership.
Kiwnika called upon scouts to expand their reach into the countryside.
He said he was inspired to play football by his father, Musa Mabasa, who now lives in South Africa.
The father was a deadly left footer during his days at Hippo Valley High, as well as the youngest to play for the Hippo Valley senior team in the Premiership in the early 1980s.
“I was inspired to play football by my father, brothers, Kwinika family and the Guma community as a whole,” Kwinika said.
At Chiredzi Stars, Kwinika is being coached by Anusa Chema, a former football product of Hippo Valley High School himself.
“l would like to thank my coach, who spotted me, and also the team manager of Chiredzi Stars, Levinson Mapfumo and fellow team players, who encourage me to push on every time even sometimes we lose,” he concluded.
– CAJ News