If juju really works . . .
BIGBOY Mawiwi and Philani “Beefy” Ncube are no strangers to controversy emanating from the use of juju in the domestic top-flight league, but their teams - Hwange and Harare City will be playing Division One football in 2018 after being relegated at the end of this year’s Castle Lager Premiership season.
Reigning Chibuku Super Cup champions, Harare City and coalminers, Hwange sunk into the murky waters of relegation on the final day of the season in November and the two coaches - Mawiwi and Ncube - presided over the relegation of both teams, raising questions of the validity of magical charms in football, given the two coaches’ well documented involvement in arguments over the use of juju.
Some Premiership teams based in Harare were allegedly shunning Rufaro Stadium - Harare City’s home ground - for fear of being affected negatively by the team’s concoctions.
As if that was not enough, How Mine coach, Kelvin Kaindu, recently labelled their Chibuku Super Cup finals opponents Harare City as a team that believes in “other things”.
Kaindu is on record saying the team plays its game at night before the actual match implying that they use juju.
“We are playing a team that believes in other things that is their strength, but for us I think we worship God and we trust in the Almighty. For this is a battle that has started and I think there will be many issues to come up football being played in the night and before the game has started.
“There will be battles on the field of play and battles outside the field of play. We are playing a game against the opponents probably thought that wanted to play against us.
“I am happy that God has allowed that. We are waiting to see because there is a lot involved before and during the match. I hope God will be on our side,” said Kaindu.
Even though Kaindu said these words this year when Ncube was head coach at Harare City, at one time some seasons ago while Mawiwi was still in charge at Harare City, candles of different colours were allegedly spotted burning in the dressing room while matches were underway.
In another incident during Mawiwi’s reign at Harare City, the centre line was painted black at Rufaro Stadium during a league match against Highlanders.
In Mabvuku, where Mawiwi hails from, they allege that he frequents a traditional healer’s residence in the same area.
In an interview on the sidelines of the 2017 Soccer Stars of the Year selection in Harare, Ncube acknowledged the use of juju in football as something that exists, but could not confirm its validity.
“When I arrived at Harare City I was told that a former coach had vowed that the team would not get anywhere. I am not sure whether he referred to us getting relegated only because we ended up winning the Chibuku Super Cup.
“Whether it (juju) works or not, it is not for me to say, but it is true that it exists and some people believe it works for them,” said Ncube.
Mawiwi also acknowledged the existence of juju and just like his counterpart, Ncube, he could not be drawn into confirming the validity of the use of juju.
“Coaching Hwange was one of the most difficult tasks that I have ever encountered in my career. It requires one to go beyond excellence on the field of play. You need to have good public relations to succeed.
“I was actually told that the team would get a goal after some matches of playing good football but failing to score. Indeed we then started scoring goals. We had bizarre incidents when the ball would hit the upright on one side, roll across the face of goal and hit the other upright before rolling out.
“I really cannot tell whether juju works or not, but the fact is that some people believe in it and maybe it works for them,” said Mawiwi, whom fellow coaches know for his habit of not wanting to greet anyone by hand before the start of a match.
And if anyone within his camp shakes hands with someone from the opposition camp, Mawiwi is known for yelling at them saying: “Ko mwana wamai wakakanganwa here kuti tine basa” (My brother, have you forgotten that we have a job to do).
Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers’ Association president, George Kandiero, said there was rampant use of juju in local football, with soccer teams always consulting the association’s members.
“Juju use is on the rise in our football. These teams come to us asking about the best people in the business. It is not only football teams that look for performance-enhancing juju.
We have some people who also come to us looking for charms to enable their children pass examinations.
We always tell them that juju alone will not help, but it needs extra effort as well,” he said.
However, the use of juju in football is not peculiar to Ncube and Mawiwi, nor Harare City and Hwange.
In 2010, former Dynamos coach, Elvis “Chuchu” Chiweshe, quit the club in protest against such practices.
At Triangle there is a tree which visiting teams are encouraged to have their coach go round it so that results could be favourable to them at the end of the match.
FC Platinum player, Charles Sibanda, was once convicted after throwing urinelike substance at the late Chicken Inn coach, Adam Ndlovu.
Numerous scenes of clashes over use of urine to pacify juju have been reported.
But if juju really worked wonders in football then teams coached by heavyweights - just like Mawiwi and Ncube - that are thought to be in juju would not have been relegated at all!