Moorosi Tsiane
ECONET Premier League player of the season nominee and Bantu defender, Mkhwanazi Mkhwanazi, has attracted the attention of South African National First Division side Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM).
Sources say Mkhwanazi, who has been a stalwart in the Bantu defence in the just ended season, already has a contract and what is only left is for Bantu to agree with TTM and the player will leave for the Limpopo province of South Africa.
The sources said the player has also agreed terms with the Limpopo outfit.
“The player has agreed terms with TTM and what is left is for the two teams to agree on the transfers then Mkhwanazi will join TTM when they open for the pre-season,” the source said.
Kabila as Mkhwanazi is popularly known in football circles, was an important member of the Bantu defence in his first season in A Matšo Matebele colours. He made a formidable pairing with Tsietsi Khooa that saw Bantu conceding just 11 goals in 26 matches, the least in the 2018/19 season.
Contacted for comment Mkhwanazi said he was not in a position to discuss the matter but conceded that TTM has shown interest in his services.
“I don’t think this is the right time to talk about the matter. Maybe I will be able to speak next week. All I can say for now is that TTM has shown interest in my services but I am still a Bantu player at the moment,” Mkhwanazi said.
Bantu president John Leuta also confirmed that TTM has shown interest in their defender. He also said two other South African sides have also written to Bantu seeking Mkhwanazi’s signature.
“We have received TTM’s letter and the negotiations are ongoing but they are not the only interested South African team as we also have two other letters from separate another NFD side and another club playing in the SAB League (Lower Division),” Leuta said.
Asked whether it was true that they demanded M100 000 for Mkhwanazi, the Bantu boss was hesitant to reveal the figures.
“Nothing has been finalised as of now because we have asked them to write a proper and clear proposal with a contract, so I don’t want to reveal the figures now. However, even if we had wanted M100 000, I still believe it is a fair amount given the quality of the player.
“Apart from that, the figure is small for an NFD team in in South Africa. But what I can tell you is that we have not had any problems with the figure we asked for from TTM,” he said.
Leuta however, said they are less interested in the money but said they want a deal that will benefit the player and ensure that he gets the bright future.
“We don’t have any problems with our players leaving but what we want is to ensure that they make the right decisions for their future and that they also get good contracts. We want to avoid a situation like that of Litšepe Marabe, who he left to join a team in South Africa only for him to spend the rest of the season watching from the stands,” Leuta said.
Marabe left Bantu for NFD side Garankuwa United at the beginning of the 2013/14 season but was forced to watch from the stands for the whole season after he failed to secure a work-permit. In the following season he immediately rejoined Bantu.