By Correspondent
AGELESS goalkeeper, Tapuwa Kapini, has come out in defence of his countryman and Orlando Pirates forward, Terence Dzvukamanja after he was booed by his own fans in their 3-1 league win against Golden Arrows last weekend.
Dzvukamanja was booed each time he touched the ball after his introduction as a 74th minute substitute.
The match was headed for a 1-1 stalemate, but Dzvukamanja silenced his critics with a stoppage minute strike which restored their lead before Vincent Pule sealed the win.
The Zimbabwe international has endured a difficult stay at the club and his form has attracted mixed feelings.
A section of fans on the club’s social media platforms are asking for the coach to give him more game time, but a huge portion want him gone.
The 28-year-old has not said a word, but remained professional by giving a deaf ear to his critics.
Kapini, who has seen it all in the DStv Premiership, urged Dzvukamanja to find inspiration from the boo boys.
He referenced himself, Kingston Nkhata, Khama Billiat and Willard Katsande among those who survived being jeered.
Takesure Chinyama was also a victim of a similar circumstances during his stay at Pirates.
And, the Buccaneers are not known of being a comfort zone for Zimbabwean players.
Ralph Matema, Kudakwashe Mahachi and Tendai Ndoro are some players who struggled at the club.
“He is not the first and the last to be booed, so many players from Zimbabwe have been booed before and they stayed positive,” said Kapini
“You can remember what happened to Billiat, Katsande, Nkhata and myself.
“He must not be worried about supporters, they change like a season, today they are booing you and tomorrow they are asking the coach to play you.”
He hailed Dzvukamanja’s way of handling the critics.
“He is a professional player and well-disciplined, and he has to keep his cool the way he has been doing,” he said.
“It’s now a few months to go before the expiry of his contract. He needs to keep on working hard and I’m sure there are other teams which are monitoring his situation and which are keen to get him on board.
“I want to urge him to keep proving his worth whenever he gets a chance to play, and he might even get his contract renewed. Nobody knows what the future holds for us and I think if he gets the chance, he should continue with them because it’s always difficult to start a new life.”
“But if goes otherwise, I don’t doubt his talent, I’m sure he will get a good club and we all know that coach Gavin Hunt at SuperSport, speaks highly of him.
“At one point, I was playing well for Platinum Stars and I heard that I was sold to AmaZulu.
“I had an option to renew my contract and they also had an option to cash in on me. So, these things happen and we don’t have control over them.
“It also happened again when I was at AmaZulu; we agreed to terminate my contract for me to join Highlands Park.
“So, you also need a strong heart to process the pain that comes with leaving when you still want to stay.”
