HIGHLANDERS have received a major boost ahead of the start of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League after striker Hillary Madzivanyika was cleared by the Botswana Football Association (BFA).
Report by Fortune Mbele
However, the Premiership giants have been kept waiting as fellow striker Njabulo “Tshiki” Ncube is yet to be cleared.
Zifa transfer matching system officer Timothy Mazhindu yesterday confirmed to NewsDay Sport that Bosso had secured clearance for former Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) midfielder Madzivanyika from BFA, but were yet to clear Tshiki, who reportedly left Nico under unclear circumstances after penning a two-year contract last August.
Time could be running out for Bosso to get a player licence for Ncube if he is cleared by BFA as the 2013 Castle Lager Premiership gets underway on Thursday with Highlanders taking on Shabanie Mine at Maglas the following day.
“Hillary Madzivanyika has received his international transfer certificate, but we are still waiting for Njabulo’s. There are no issues really. It is just that there are new systems that we are using and Highlanders, had not furnished us with some documents but they since have. Everything is in order and we are just waiting for the international transfer certificate from Botswana with regard to Njabulo,” Mazhindu said.
The transfer matching system requires that Highlanders approach the Premier Soccer League, who in turn take up the matter with Zifa. Zifa would then request for the clearance of the players from their Botswana counterparts. Mazhindu said all those processes had already been done and the onus now lay with BFA to do their part regarding Ncube’s clearance.
Efforts to get a comment from BFC records officer and transfer matching system manager Grace Maotshe were fruitless yesterday, while Bosso chairman Peter Dube referred the matter to club secretary Andrew Tapela.
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However, Tapela said he was locked up in a meeting and later said he would call back to give the latest update on the transfers.
Meanwhile, the league gets into full gear on Thursday with Premiership debutants How Mine and Tripple B locking horns at White City Stadium while Hwange travel to Harare for a date with Motor Action.
Hwange, who survived relegation by a whisker last year and have this year seen the flight of most of their senior players, beat the Mighty Bulls 2-0 at the Colliery in June before falling 2-1 in the reverse fixture in Harare.
On Friday, Highlanders, who were last season’s runners-up to champions Dynamos, head to Maglas where they beat Shabanie Mine 2-0 in May last year and completed a double over the former asbestos miners with a 1-0 win at Barbourfields Stadium in September.
