Malajila pays tribute to Ngodzo
NEWLY signed South African Premiership side Bidvest Wits striker Cuthbert Malajila has named Bantu Rovers’ coach Johannes Ngodzo among his top five former teammates that helped shape his predatory prowess.
Going down memory lane to his humble beginnings at the now defunct Northern Region Division One Kadoma-based outfit David Whitehead to his latest role in the cash-rich Absa Premiership, Malajila said Ngodzo was a rare midfield talent.
“My late friend Gilbert Nyakudanga was a super teammate both at David Whitehead and Chapungu, then there was also MaRhino (Maxwell Dube at Chapungu), who provided me with constant supply to score lots of goals. But it was at Highlanders that I found a rare breed of a midfielder in Ngodzo, who was so perfect with his passing and creativity, making it easier for me as a striker to bang in goals. I remember that my first hat-trick at Highlanders, Ngodzo provided all the assists,” said Malajila.
“The next time Zimbabwe football gets such a player, I am sure our strikers will start scoring more goals. Unfortunately, Ngodzo’s career was marred by injuries and our national team never got to benefit from this rare football talent,” said Malajila.
He said the other two top players he played with were Desmond Maringwa at Dynamos and Khama Billiat at Mamelodi Sundwons in South Africa.
Malajila was spotted by Chapungu in 2005 while turning out for David Whitehead and they later loaned him to Highlanders and Dynamos before he moved to Tunisia and then Libya. At one time he was stuck at Tripoli Airport when war broke out.
He was to rejoin Dynamos before moving to Maritzburg United in South Africa. After impressing at the KwaZulu Natal-based outfit, Mamelodi Sundowns shelled out huge money to bring him to Pretoria where he was a huge success.
However, the emergence of the CBD at Sundowns, a tripartite combo comprising Leonardo Castro, Khama Billiat and Keagan Dolly that has terrorised all and sundry in the Absa Premiership, resulted in Malajila having little game time prompting him to make the short move to Bidvest Wits in Johannesburg to restart his career.