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club-hunting mission.

Rusike was earlier last week offloaded by South African Premiership side Ajax Cape Town after being deemed excess baggage to the Urban Warriors’ requirements for next season.

The former CAPS United man’s 2012-13 Absa Premiership season was blighted by injuries and a severe loss form and coincidentally it was during a term in which Ajax Cape Town also struggled for survival and had to battle against relegation until the last few weeks of the league programme.

Their poor show forced the Urban Warriors to review their squad list and they found Rusike to be excess to their requirements and released the diminutive midfielder at the end of his contract.

Ajax Cape Town have, however, hung onto Rusike’s countryman Khama Billiat despite increasing interest from their Premiership rivals for the player.

The Urban Warriors still rate Billiat highly and had even put a R10 million price-tag on him  when it emerged that Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer  Chiefs had shown strong interest in the winger.

Rusike’s manager Edzai Kasinauyo confirmed that they had already set about looking for a new base for the midfielder before the off-season break ends.

Kasinauyo also revealed that they were now vigorously pursuing a move to Belgium for Rusike and remained hopeful that his free agent status could help speed the process

“We have to look for a club for him but the top priority now is to try and take him to Belgium. He was there for trials before but we will be more vigorous this time around.

“He has always wanted to go to Belgium than stay at Ajax and as is common knowledge, it is every player’s dream to play in Europe and hopefully something will work out for Tafadzwa.

“We will also look at the South African clubs and see what best possible deal we can come up with for the player,’’ Kasinauyo said.

Rusike joined Ajax Cape Town in 2010 and was part of a big exodus of players that left CAPS United that same year to join South African clubs.

His former teammates at CAPS United – Method Mwanjali, Nyasha Mushekwi and Lionel Mtizwa – moved to Mamelodi  Sundowns while Oscar Machapa  headed for Moroka Swallows where just like Rusike he has also since been offloaded.

Rusike seems to have never been a favourite of coach Mushin Etrugal who ignored the player when he first tried his luck at Ajax Cape Town in 2009 together with Mushekwi.

Then Ajax Cape Town coach Craig Roslee had appeared impressed by the Zimbabwean pair but he was fired before he could sign them.

Etrugal has also not made any further inquiries on Monomotapa midfielder Ronald Chitiyo who had trials at Ajax Cape Town amid indications that the Turkish coach is at the moment more concerned with signing a good goalkeeper and a central defender.

But for now it is clubless Rusike who has to be content with playing for his country’s senior team where he has charmed Zimbabwe coach Klaus Dieter Pagels with the German expatriate convinced that “his vision and ability to pass the ball’’ could play a key role in the style that he wants the Warriors to use.

After coming on as a  second half substitute in Pagels’ first competitive game in charge against Egypt in Alexandria on March 26, Rusike was handed a start in Zimbabwe’s home encounter against the Pharaohs  at the National Sports Stadium last Sunday in which the hosts fell 4-2.