Bosso beefs up squad for 2014 season

KHUMBULANI Banda and Valentine Ndaba are the latest players to join Highlanders on two-year deals as the Bulawayo giants beef up their squad for the 2014 season which begins in March.

Banda signed for Bosso from How Mine, while Ndaba joins the Bulawayo giants from Shabanie Mine and the two join Welcome Ndiweni who returns to Highlanders after a spell with FC Platinum.

Highlanders secretary Andrew Tapela yesterday confirmed Bosso's latest acquisitions and said they were still engaged in negotiations with other players that he could not reveal.

On Bosso's wish-list are Hwange defender Erick Chipeta, FC Platinum's Charles Sibanda and Joel Ngodzo and Triangle's Pascal Manhanga.

From this trio, Ngodzo is almost a sure bet as coach Kelvin Kaindu has already put him on strict regime diet to lose weight.

Entumbane-boy Sibanda and Chipeta have also made it clear that they will be playing in Bulawayo next season, without mentioning which teams they would join.

"We have signed Khumbulani Banda, Welcome Ndiweni and Valentine Ndaba on two-year deals. We are still negotiating with other players. I cannot say their names as of now. We will inform you once the deals are done and dusted," he said.

Bosso started their pre-season training at St Columbus High School under the watchful eye of tough assistant coach Mark Mathe and goalkeeper's coach Peter "Oxo" Nkomo, while former assistant coach Bekithemba "Super" Ndlovu were also in attendance to do the official handover.

"Ndlovu is not part of the technical team. He is just doing hand-over take-over for maybe a fortnight or three weeks. He is a Bosso son and he is helping out," Bosso chairman Peter Dube said.

On the players they have acquired, Dube said: "We are expecting the players to excel at Highlanders. We want them to help the club go forward. The technical team is still studying the players and we are yet to know who will be there or not for the season," he said.
Tapela said he would confirm today when head coach Kelvin Kaindu is expected back in the country in preparation for the season.

Kaindu is finishing a Caf C Licence course in Zambia.

Notable players who attended Bosso's first training session are Banda and Ndiweni, while Ocean Mpofu, formerly with How Mine, also trained with the team.

Cleopas "Balotelli" Dube returned from loan with Zifa Southern Region Division One league side Plumtree Chiefs, Blackboots goalkeeper Mduduzi Nkomo and juniors Godfrey Mataruse, Anthony Nyatsanga, Happiness Murozvi and Lucky Nyoni were also part of the fitness exercise.

Njabulo "Tshiki" Ncube and Ozias Zibande did not attend yesterday's training session, while Master Masitara, Bruce Tshuma, Beaven Chikaka and Heritein Masuku are reported to have been offloaded.

Chikaka's disciplinary problems last season, where he was not attending some training sessions, might have contributed to his departure as Kaindu did not take kindly to his unprofessionalism.
At one stage, Chikaka performed a "Carlos Tevez" on Kaindu, refusing to play from the bench.

Goalkeeper Munyaradzi Diya, Milton Ncube, and Peter Moyo are in South Africa for the African Nations Championships, while Bruce Kangwa is officially excused as he is on honeymoon after getting married over the weekend to his Canadian-based sweetheart Whitney.

Diya, Ncube and Moyo's contracts ended on December 31. Diya has been on trials at Golden Arrows in South Africa, while Moyo tried his luck at Bidvest Wits. Masimba Mambare has joined Dynamos on a three-year deal.