Noel Munzambwa
THE motivation line “Great perseverance will be required for those who are going to endure in these last days” perfectly fits the descriptive bill to Ephraim Mazarura’s soccer career spanning close to 15 years.
Players may win all other cup glories, represent the nation on the international scene but there is no value that surpasses winning a domestic league gold, absolutely, and should you doubt it ask Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.
For Mazarura it had to take a decade to attain one after bagging the 2011/ 12 MTN Premier League of Eswatini gold with Mbabane Swallows who he had impressed into buying him off his Chicken Inn contract thanks to an impressive show during a 0-2 friendly match against Mamelodi Sundowns.
“My football journey to Mbabane Swallows started in 2012 when I received a call from the late Victor Gamedze. He invited me to play a friendly match against Mamelodi Sundowns, by then I was contracted to Chicken Inn FC and after getting a clearance from them I flew to SA via Mbabane.
“I arrived on the day of the game in the morning and the game was in the evening at a packed stadium. Since I was used to playing before big crowds I was not intimidated but motivated since I had played for well supported teams like Dynamos and FC Lupopo, and that deal was sealed.”
After several crack attempts at several clubs since the birth of his goalkeeping career as a teenager at army side Black Rhinos at 18 in 2003, Mazarura meandered through Dynamos, Lengthens, Motor Action, Mwana Africa and DRC’s St Eloi Lupopo in search of glory.
Mazarura finally landed his first ever league gold medal in May 2012, a crown on his debut Swallows season and a year later in his second year added colour with five goals and three gold medals namely the league, Swazibank and Trade Fair Cup.
And with the gold medals haul he bade farewell leaving tales of glory in Eswatini.
“I am happy this is my first set of league medals and overall I can call it time with Swazi football. I have not decided my next destination as yet but home would be best,” he was quoted as having said.
He later joined How Mine and later a Mozambique football side.
Many will remember him as a youthful Black Rhinos goalkeeper who took over from Lazarus Pararayi and earned a couple of Young Warriors caps and was even part of the 2004 Afcon finals held in Tunisia.
