HARARE giants Dynamos have started the year with a massive clear-out that claimed almost all the club’s foreign recruits as well as the scalps of captain Partson Jaure and his deputy Godknows Murwira.
The Harare giants yesterday announced they were parting ways with about 13 players as they begin to lay the ground for the upcoming 2023 season under new coach Herbert Maruwa.
Skipper Jaure is one of the seven players whose contracts expired on December 31 and were not renewed.
It was also an anticlimax for utility man Murwira, who spent the better part of last season frozen out by previous coach Tonderai Ndiraya on allegations of working against the coach.
Ghanaian defender Sylvester Appiah, Cameroonian Albert Eonde, Nigerian Alex Orotomal, Ralph Kawondera and Keith Murera were also denied contract extensions.
Hardworking midfielder Trevor Mavhunga’s contract also expired at the weekend and he voluntarily opted out to pursue greener pastures elsewhere.
The trio of youngsters Luke Musikiri, Claivert Tshuma and Stephen Chatikobo, who had joined Dynamos under an agreement with Prince Edward Academy, have reverted back to the academy.
“The club is also having discussions on mutual separation with the following players whose contracts with the Club still subsist; Evans Katema and Martin Ofori,” said Dynamos spokesperson Tinashe Farawo in a statement.
“The club had also offered Trevor Mavhunga an improved new contract but the player’s handlers advised that Trevor is now heading for a new home.
“Dynamos FC shall forever remain grateful to the service rendered to the club by these players and we wish them well in their careers.
“Meanwhile, all our stakeholders are hereby notified that the club is almost through with the recruitment of new players to beef up our 2023 squad and a formal announcement will be made in due course,” he added.
Farawo told The Herald that the resolutions communicated by the club were done in consultation with the new technical team.
“The management is always guided by what the technical team wants. As you know we have a new technical team and they have recommended to the management which players that they want to work with in the coming season.
“Remember they had some training sessions a few weeks back and that’s when they saw what they wanted to see in the players.
“Most of these guys had their contracts ending on December 31 so the club took the decision not to renew,” said Farawo.
It must have been a sad ending to Jaure’s beautiful memories with the club.
The defender won three titles after cutting his teeth in the Castle Lager Premiership debut with Dynamos between 2011 and 2013. He then left the country in 2014, when Dynamos were gunning for a fourth straight title, to join South Africa’s Pretoria University.
On his return he had stints with Ngezi Platinum Stars, Zambia’s Buildcon and Manica Diamonds before retracing his footsteps back to DeMbare in 2020 and claiming the skipper’s armband.
The 31-year-old defender has since been asked to surrender the club’s assets in his possession, including the captain’s vehicle provided by sponsors Sakunda Holdings.
Ghanaian forward Emmanuel Paga, was the only foreign player to survive the purge. Paga was DeMbare’s leading scorer last season after netting 10 goals.
But the foreign trio of Orotomal, Eonde and Orfori, who had been brought in to refine the DeMbare strike-force, failed to rise to the occasion.
“We all know that the team was not scoring goals. Foreign players must prove they have something special that we don’t see in the local players.
“They must bring an additional dimension to the way the team plays. If that is not there, then there is no reason for hiring them. That’s the thrust we are taking as Dynamos,” said Farawo.
Dynamos are looking to end a protracted trophy drought in the upcoming 2023 season. They have not won a major silverware since 2014. They ended third last year, behind Chicken Inn and four-peat champions FC Platinum.
The third place finish, although an improvement from the previous two seasons, was not good enough as it cost Ndiraya his coaching job. Ndiraya’s contract was not renewed and has since been replaced by Maruwa.
The DeMbare management were not happy the team could not land the title despite the massive investments done in the last three years, thanks to the lucrative sponsorship packages from Gold Leaf Tobacco and then Sakunda Holdings.
At some point last season, they led eventual champions FC Platinum by 10 points, but the Harare giants lost their way after the halfway stage and ended up finishing third and a massive 17 points behind Pure Platinum Play.
Maruwa’s immediate task is to set the Glamour Boys back on the path to contend for the league title. His backroom staff is yet to be confirmed.
The Glamour Boys leadership have promised to support the team fully with resources and have already booked a pre-season trip to Malawi at the invitation of Nyasa Big Bullets, where DeMbare legend Callisto Pasuwa is coaching.
“As the chairman (Moses Maunganidze) has said, we want our actions to speak more than words,” said Farawo.
“We are hoping for a good pre-season. We also have plans to travel to Malawi as part of the preparations.” – The Herald
