BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA
FORMER Caps United striker Nyasha Mushekwi is hoping the gesture he has shown in donating a state-of-the-art bus to the Green Machine will further boost the team’s spirit to deliver the championship this term.
The Zimbabwe international, who plays football for China League One club Zhejiang Greentown, believes his former team have the capacity to repeat the feat of 2016 and win the league title.
His speech read on his behalf by his sister Nyari at the unveiling ceremony of the bus, Mushekwi urged Caps to fight to win the league title, saying he religiously follows his former team’s progress from his base in China.
The Harare giants lead the league table with 58 points, two ahead of closest challengers FC Platinum, while Chicken Inn are in third place with 53 points with only two rounds of matches left in the campaign.
The big striker, who has now retired from international football after the Warriors failed their 2019 African Cup of Nations bid, has maintained a strong relationship with Caps president Farai Jere, who introduced him to former Caps coach Moses Chunga who then poached him from basketball.
Jere said Mushekwi’s gesture was unprecedented and described him as an exemplary and visionary player who lit the torch for others.
“It has never happened before in our football. We are proud as Caps family that we have one player who has remembered us,” he said. “Very few players can do this and we are excited and appreciate what he has done for us. He has lifted us from poverty. We now have the best team bus in the league. It has everything, ablution facilities and makes players feel comfortable. He did this not because he has a lot of money. For him to spare that kind of money and put his club on the map, it should be really appreciated. To me he is like my son.
I remember he approached me while he was playing basketball and I introduced him to Chunga who went on to nurture him and give him the platform to launch his football career. We are humbled by this gesture. Others should learn from this,” Jere said.
The Caps boss said his side needed to win their two remaining matches against Ngezi Platinum and FC Platinum and the gesture by Mushekwi should spur them to win the championship.