The Sunday Mail
Sports Reporter
FORMER Dynamos winger Hope ‘Zviyo’ Chihota has a place in Zimbabwe’s intriguing football history. Not only was he part of the trailblazing DeMbare side that reached the 1998 CAF Champions League final, but he also hails from a special street in Mbare.
Chihota was raised on Mushongandebvu Walk in Mbare, the same road where a number of footballers and boxers, including his erstwhile Dynamos teammate Chamu Musanhu, were bred.
Musanhu and Chihota were both part of that historic DeMbare squad.
David Muchineripi, who scored Zimbabwe’s first-ever goal in a World Cup qualifier when the Warriors beat Cameroon 1-0 on November 11, 1980, was also born and bred in the same area. Further, it is the same road that gave the nation talented footballers like Gilbert, Alwyn and Kelvin Mushangazhike; and Edward and Lloyd Katsvere, as well as ex-Darryn T keeper Fanuel Ariberto.
Even former Commonwealth boxing champion Arifonso ‘Mosquito’ Zvenyika hails from the same street. Chihota, who is now based in the United States, seems to have not forgotten his roots.
He is now championing junior football development in Harare’s oldest high-density suburb through a fledgling academy, Inter- Harare Academy.
It has so far produced a handful of Premier Soccer League players such as the Harare City duo of teenage striker Alexander Mandinyenya and goalkeeper Learnmore Muzarurwi, as well as Ngoni Muzuva of Black Rhinos. Golden Eagles goalkeeper Tinotenda Takarinda and Karoi United’s Dean Togara are some of the academy’s players now plying their trade in Division One.
Inter-Harare Academy vice-chairperson Clever Isaya outlined their ambitious targets.
“The academy has now been formally registered with ZIFA under the Harare Junior Football League. “We want to move into Division Two next year, but our long-term goal is to be in the Premier Soccer League by 2025,” said Isaya.
“Currently, we are working with the juniors, and we have four age groups – Under-10, U14, U16 and U18. “I am also happy that we have developed some players, who are already playing in the Premier Soccer League,” he said.
Just like other academies across the country, Inter-Harare does not have proper training grounds. “Our players need to be trained in modern fields, which are up to international standards.
“So, we have gone out of our way to rehabilitate infrastructure within the Mbare community because we are a Mbare-based team.
“We have partnered with Shingirayi Primary School and they have given us access to their facilities.
“We are not just going to use their facilities, but we are also going to make sure we develop a good training field, which we will use as our home ground,” added Isaya.
Chihota’s football history is inspiring a number of upcoming players in Mbare.
He played junior football in Mbare with the likes of Gilbert Mushangazhike, Chamu Musanhu, Mike Maringa, Tichaona Diya, Garikai Mukangairwa, Innocent Musapenda and Ernest Masango-Chigama before he rose to become a key player at Dynamos.
“The good thing is that the whole Inter- Harare leadership is very passionate about the sport, and the icing on the cake is that the founder himself, Hope Chihota, who is now based in Texas, has achieved all he has through sport.
