‘I received death threats:’ Dzvukamanja exposes Orlando Pirates fans
Zimbabwean international Terrence Dzvukamanja has revealed he received death threats from a section of unknown Orlando Pirates fans who wanted him to leave the Soweto giants.
The 29-year-old forward revealed in a Pirates’ documentary on SuperSport TV detailing challenges that were faced by players and team staff last season.
“I received death threats, they didn’t want me here [at Pirates],” he said.
Pirates supporters were baying for the attacking midfielder’s head at a time he struggled to pick his best form until he reinvented himself around December.
Prior to that, Pirates fans criticised, booed and jeered at him demanding the club show him the exit door.
He ended the season as a key player in Jose Riveiro’s team, scoring eight goals in 20 matches in all competitions.
The former Ngezi Platinum Stars man who was transfer listed by Pirates in January before the club made a U-turn, added: “It happened last year, from September 2022 until December.
“They [fans] would come into my inbox, and called threatening me to quit the club or I die. I don’t even know where they got my number from.
“There was a time I went to a mall, and someone told me directly, ‘If you can’t leave, we will make you leave.’
“They kept sending messages saying, ‘We know you are ignoring us, but if you don’t tell your agent or your bosses you want to leave, we will either make you leave the club or leave the earth’.
“I had to tell my parents and my agent, even the boss of the team, about the death threats.”
Furthermore, the lanky attacker went on to say: “I was scared at that time, I won’t lie, because anything can happen. Sometimes I would come to training but my mind was not there.
“It affected my game because mentally I was not OK. I would say that, yes, I went through depression because sometimes I would feel it was better for me to drink alcohol so I could relax or else it would be stressful.
“It was very stressful. It was draining me emotionally. They said I had to leave the club because I didn’t deserve to be at Pirates.”
Dzvukamanja scored the crucial goal (the winner) that handed Pirates the Nedbank Cup trophy after beating Sekhukhune United 2-1 from behind.
