The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
DEFENSIVE midfielder, Rodrick “Jecha”Mufudza, believes the presence of more players born and raised in Mutare within the Manica Diamonds rank and file will endear the Gem Boys Class of 2021 with the hard-to-please fans of the eastern border city.
The 2021/2022 Castle Lager Premiership season gets underway this weekend, with Manica Diamonds playing against newcomers, Hwahwa C at Sakubva Stadium on Sunday.
The match starts at 3pm.
Fellow Mutare Premiership side, Tenax date FC Platinum away at Mandava Stadium tomorrow (Saturday), in one of the season-opening matches that start today, with Herentals facing Harare City at the National Sports Stadium in the capital.
Mufudza, together with homeboys, Pasca Manhanga, Tichaona Mabvura, Lawrence Masibera and Kudakwashe Gurure give Manica Diamonds a Mutare face on the field of play; something the club badly lacked in its debut Premiership season under coach, Luke Masomere.
Young Christian Mukonya, who was recently promoted to the senior team from the Hibron Makukutu-coached Manica Diamonds Juniors, together with other registered juniors, Moreblessing Marange, Roy Mangayira and Pascal Shumbaimwe, are all local boys.
Ageless rock steady defender, Themba Ndlovu, who had a fine outing during the Chibuku Super Cup, Charles Teguru, Lloyd Katongomara and JefreyTakunda also have strong ties with the eastern border city.
Only the now departed Last Jesi and Mufudza traced the infancy of their careers to Mutare among the players who turned out for Manica Diamonds during the 2019 season before the Covid-19 induced layoff.
Mufudza said: “I think we are on the right trajectory as a club. Having more local players will help fans to identify with club. We cannot run away from that. We are not saying we do not want players from other parts of the country. No. We certainly need them as long as they provide that which we cannot find here.”
The combative Mufudza, who celebrates his 30th birthday on Monday, fell in love with the game of football at Dangare Primary School where he was enrolled from 1998 to 2004 before going to Sakubva High School from 2005 to 2008.
He later went to Mutare Boys’ High School in 2009.
During his childhood, just like most players who come Sakubva, Mufudza was once part of renowned talent nursery, La Sakubva from the Under-13 age group up until he was part of the Under-19 group.
His club career started at Frontier Steel in 2008.
He played for two seasons before joining Tsholotsho FC in 2010, and left the Bulawayo side at the end of the 2012 season.
Mufudza was back to his hometown in 2013 when he joined Mutare City Rovers and played for almost two seasons before reverting to Tsholotsho FC midway in 2014.
He was at Thsolothso until 2016.
In 2017, he once again joined Mutare City Rovers before getting into the books of Manica Diamonds in 2018.
In Manica Diamonds’ debut Premiership season in 2019, Mufudza was a vital cog in the Gem Boys machinery.
A midfield workaholic in his own right, Mufudza was nicknamed Jecha when he was recruited by former Monomotapa and now Ngezi Platinum coach, Rodwell Dhlakama, together with Tichaona Mabvura to train with the now defunct club.
It so happened that the exceptionally gifted former Monomotapa player, Makai Kawasha was the one nicknamed Jecha, and for some reason, some of Mufudza’s teammates gave him the same nickname after playing good football in a match against Caps United juniors.
