Bosso striker off to South Africa

By Ricky Zililo

BULAWAYO – Highlanders FC striker Knox Mutizwa, winner of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League’s golden boot award left the country on Monday for a trial stint with South African Premiership side Bidvest Wits.

This is the first time in his career that the 22-year-old striker who scored 14 goals from 17 PSL starts is attending a trial stint outside the country.

Sources said renowned Harare-based football agent Gibson Mahachi who roped Mutizwa into his stable a few weeks ago facilitated for the striker to try his luck at Wits.

Wits are home to former Warriors left back Onismor Bhasera and Mutizwa will be hoping to impress coach Gavin Hunt.

“Knox flew to Johannesburg from Harare this afternoon and Highlanders have been told that he’ll be back on Friday. He’s at Bidvest Wits. His manager Gibson Mahachi is the one who organised the trials.

“He’ll probably fly into Harare on Friday evening for the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League’s Soccer Star of the Year banquet. He’ll then proceed to Bulawayo on Saturday morning to join his Bosso teammates for the Easycall Cup semi-final match against Dynamos,” said a source.

Mutizwa was yesterday voted as one of the 11 PSL’s best players. Mahachi seems to have good relations with Wits. In July he facilitated for Soccer Star of the Year finalist Edmore Chirambadare of Chicken Inn to attend a week-long trial stint at the Johannesburg club.

Chirambadare could have joined Wits who requested to increase his trial period but Chicken Inn withdrew him saying they needed the striker for their PSL game against Caps United.

Highlanders will be hoping to cash in on Mutizwa who signed a one-year deal with Bosso last week. Should he make the grade at Wits, Mutizwa will become the second player from Bosso to be sold to a South African club this year after Thomas Chideu who joined Ajax Cape Town during the midseason transfer window.

Efforts to get Highlanders chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede and Mahachi to comment on Mutizwa’s Wits trial stint were fruitless as their mobile phones went unanswered. Highlanders chairman Peter Dube could neither confirm nor deny that Mutizwa was in South Africa, referring questions to Gumede. The Chronicle