Murambadoro joins Mpumalanga Aces

By Petros Kausiyo

ZIMBABWE international goalkeeper Energy Murambadoro is on the move again, with the former CAPS United goalminder switching clubs in the South African Premiership.

Murambadoro, who has been battling a knee injury, has joined Mpumalanga Black Aces after being surprisingly offloaded by Bidvest Wits at the start of the 2009-2010 season.

The big Warriors goalkeeper was voted Wits’ Players Player of the Year last season but the Johannesburg club did not register the Zimbabwean this term after he suffered a knee injury that has kept him out of action for more than three months.

According to reports from South Africa yesterday, Black Aces swooped on the seasoned Murambadoro in a bid to bolster their goalkeeping department.

Murambadoro had not been registered by Bidvest Wits, because he had suffered a knee injury in April and was only expected to be out for the whole of this season.

Although the Warriors international recovered recently he could not compete for a place at Wits because of the non-registration.

Wits also have another Zimbabwean on their books —striker Evans Chikwaikwai — while former Warriors left back Charles Yohane is a juniors coach.

Now Murambadoro has signed for Black Aces after he started training with the team last week.

The Amazayoni public relations officer, Thabo Moroape, told kick-off.com that they had secured Murambadoro on a loan deal from Wits.

Murambadoro will also find Zimbabwean company at his new club in the form of veteran striker Gilbert Mushangazhike, who joined Black Aces after being offloaded by Orlando Pirates.

“I can confirm that we have signed Energy on a one-year loan deal from Wits and we welcome him to our team.

“We also signed Chad Harpur, who last played for Ajax. “He has signed for us until the end of the season. Until we signed these guys, we only had Oscar Ramogoadi as the only goalkeeper, but as you know we cleared Nascent Nkhwashu, who I believe has already signed for Thanda Royal Zulu. Thomas Richter is injured at the moment and he has not been training with the team for the past two weeks, so we needed cover urgently,” Moroape said.

Should he start playing for Black Aces, Murambadoro will have a tall order trying to inspire his new club from between the posts.

The Mpumalanga outfit is in a lowly 15th in the 16-team Premiership having managed just 13 points from 16 games. They have won only three times, drawn four of their games while their strikers have scored 12 times and their defence conceded 23 goals.

Murambadoro, stung by Zimbabwe’s dismal failure to qualify for the 2010 World Cup and African Cup of Nations, quit the Warriors at end of that doomed campaign in October last year.

But the giant goalkeeper had a change of heart in June this year and indicated that he wanted to play for the Warriors again and work with coach Sunday “Mhofu’’ Chidzambwa, the gaffer who gave him the platform to feature on the big stage eight years ago.

“I am ready to play for my country because it is the ultimate honour. All that I have gone through has made me a better man.

“Now I realise that disappointments are part of life and there is no excuse for making knee-jerk reactions like the one I made when we failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup,’’ Murambadoro said.