FIVE young footballers have secured themselves sports scholarships with a South African college after impressing in the Copa-Cola and will have an opportunity to train with Kaizer Chiefs junior team.
BY HENRY MHARA
The players were drawn from Prince Edward School in Harare and Rusununguko High School in Mashonaland East, the two finalists of last year’s biggest school tournament in Zimbabwe.
From Prince Edward, Alvin Dube who captained his Copa-Coca Under-16 side in Kadoma last year, and Talent Mwenga made the grade.
Denzel Mwenga was also part of that triumphant squad and only joined later in the year on scholarship from Phupajena High School.
The duo of the Oscar Magejo and Dylan Gumbe, both former Rusununguko High students complete the list.
The crew’s manager Regis Dzenga confirmed that his players were learning in South Africa, but refused to divulge further information.
“Indeed, we have set up an international academy to train the best young talent in the region, including Zimbabwe. “We are not ready to provide much more information at this stage, save to say the boys are indeed in school and training on a daily basis. Once we are ready we will issue a statement,” Dzenga said.
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However, sources close to the development revealed that the five got their scholarship in February after impressing some scouts in local schools tournaments, and have been there since.
The source also said that the youngsters had been training with the Kaizer Chiefs junior team before the coronavirus lockdown, and have the chance to impress the Soweto giants and other South African clubs.
Magejo first caught the scout’s eye when he led Rusununguko to Copa-Cola Under-16 glory in 2018, with the school playing the tournament with nine players after some of the pupils had been vetted out.
The forward was voted the best player of the tournament and Dynamos assistant coach Biggie Zuze who watched the games was left convinced that Magejo was a rare talent which if nurtured well, could become one of the country’s biggest stars.
He also single-handedly won his school the Nash Under-20 boys tournament last year in a performance that once again justified his growing reputation as the best school talent in the country.
Gumbe was in the squad that lost to Prince Edward last year and was of the players, alongside Dube, who were selected into the tournament’s dream team.
The elegant Dube was voted the tournament’s best player.
