Robson Sharuko
Editor
IT was the shocking story which even pushed its way onto the website of South African football magazine, Kick-Off.com – Dynamos paying a sangoma US$1 000 while battling unrest by their players over unpaid dues.
The exclusive story, which was first published in this newspaper on Tuesday as our main article of the day, was taken by a number of websites and digital forums with Kick-Off.com finding a bit of laughter in the fact that the Glamour Boys still lost.
Given they are a South African publication, they converted the US$1 000 to their own currency, Rand, and reported that Dynamos spent R18 200 in that transaction.
“However, despite the healer’s intervention at a hefty cost of US$1 000, Dynamos went on to lose 2-0 to Highlanders, and the latter side now has a five-point gap on the former, who are currently in sixth place on the Zimbabwean Premier Soccer League table,” wrote Kick-Off.com.
H-Metro has since established that the payment of a sangoma, “to help Dynamos”, is done every week and the prices range depending on which sangoma is being used.
The Glamour Boys, who are chasing their first league title in 10 years, have a number of sangomas who are consulted according to the assignment at hand.
Many of them charge, at least, US$500 per match but the sangoma used for Sunday match was paid US$1 000 because of the high profile nature of the opponents – their biggest rivals Highlanders.
The club also pays different winning bonuses for games against Bosso and CAPS United compared to the other matches.
The sangoma used for the Bosso match also claimed that Dynamos have been “bewitched,” which is preventing their strikeforce from scoring as many goals as the coaches want.
In football, it’s called “kusungwa.”
DeMbare have the lowest number of goals among the top six clubs on the table.
The sangoma is demanding US$2 500 to “cleanse” the Dynamos camp.
H-Metro has since found out that Dynamos have a specialist sangoma, who is based in Bulawayo, who takes care of their matches in that part of the country.
“We call him Dr Maphosa, he is from Bulawayo, and it is said that the club owes him US$14 000 in unpaid dues and he is not happy about this and we are told that explains why we are struggling,” said a source.
“There is also a sangoma from Mufakose for the team, he charges US$500 per game and there is also another sangoma in Chihota.
“The money which is paid to the sangomas is listed under match expenses as there are no receipts to support whether the sangomas have really been paid or not.”
