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Eddie Chikamhi-Senior Sports Reporter

FORMER State House Tornadoes goalkeeper Christopher Ndonya believes his football career has gone full circle and is now dedicating his services to junior development where he started off back in the late 1970s.

Ndonya, who was groomed at Mashonaland United in Bulawayo, and making his first team debut at 19 years, is now running CT Academy in Mbare.

The project has produced a number of players currently playing in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League and in the Division One leagues.

Names that quickly come to mind include the Harare City captain Hastings Chapusha, Emmanuel Zinyama, Black Rhinos’ Kudzanayi Dhemere and Nelson Ketala of Chicken Inn who were the first fruits from the project.

His other products are scattered in Division One including Golden Eagles captain Henry Manatsa and Marlon Maziriri of Harare City Cubs.

But Ndonya is now worried the self-sponsored project is now facing the risk of running aground, exactly 10 years after the idea was conceived, because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Covid-19 came with hardships and we had been forced to stop in the last two years. The good thing is that we have restarted and we are based at a High School in Mbare. But the challenge is resources.

“I am appealing to those who can assist in resuscitating the project. I have a passion for junior development. This project was run over a few years and we managed to achieve what we could, mostly without any form of sponsorship.

“The only help I got was from Betta Balls who at some point provided training kits and balls. So we need training kits for five age groups from Under-10 to Under 18s and other football development equipment,” said Ndonya.

During his heyday in the 1980s, he was a goalkeeper of note and played for Zimbabwe Saints, ZRP Tomlison and State House Tornadoes, who were owned by Zimbabwe’s first President, the late Canaan Banana.

Ndonya, however, could count himself unlucky to have played during the era when Zimbabwe was teeming with top-notch goalkeepers like Japhet “Shortcat’’ M’parutsa (Dynamos/Black Rhinos), Labani Kandi (Dynamos/Rio Tinto), Peter “Captain Oxo’’ Nkomo (Highlanders), Frank Mkanga (Ziscosteel/Dynamos), Raphael Phiri (Rio Tinto) and Mike Mhlanga of Arcadia who all lit up the stage in the first decade after Independence.

Ndonya still managed to pull his weight up.

“I went through the mill, starting off at Mashonaland United in Bulawayo. That is where my career was launched and I started my senior football at Zimbabwe Saints.

“I got my first opportunity to play senior team football against Bulawayo Eagles that had great players like Boy Ndlovu, Majuta Mpofu and Arthur Makombe.

“I played that game, not because I was the first choice, but I went in as stand-in goalkeeper. Labani Kandi was supposed to be in that line up but that day he had work commitments. I was given this opportunity to play when I was preparing for the reserve game. 

“I played alongside some football greats that I used to admire as a young boy, the likes of Gibson Homela, Max Tshuma, Andrew Kadengu and Peter Kaviza. We drew 2-2 and from there I never returned to the reserve side. I was 19 years then,” said Ndonya.

But because of financial pressure he had to leave Bulawayo for Harare where he joined the Zimbabwe Republic Police as an officer.

He then started playing for their Division Two side ZRP Tomlison before the pass out parade and was catapulted to the limelight when he led the side to the Commissioner’s Shield.

Most of the top-flight teams wanted his services but ZRP decided to merge Tomlison and runners-up Support Unit to form Black Mambas. The team featured in the promotion play-offs for Division One football and they succeeded along with Black Rhinos, State House Tornadoes and Rusape Metro Peach.

Soon after, he was recruited by Tornadoes where he played alongside the likes of David “Chikwama’’ Mwanza, John “JP’’ Phiri and Cosmos Pritchard. He was competing for the number one jersey with Fanuel Ariberto.

They played Division One football for the first time in 1983. They could not match the all-conquering Black Rhinos that swept to championship victory and gained automatic promotion into the then Super League.

But Tornadoes won the championship in 1984 and got promoted to the Super League. Ndonya played two seasons before being recalled by Mambas, to help push for their own Super League promotion.

Mambas had assembled a strong team with players like Thomas Mukahanana, Abisha Mugadza, Collins Kabote, Reason Dahwa, Gilbert Kapuka and Masimba Dinyero, who won the Soccer Star of the Year award in 1988.

After surviving a car accident in 1988, Ndonya was back on the pitch the following year at Division One side ZRP Tomlison along with the likes of Boniface “Achimwene’’ Kabwe, Alex ‘’Chola’’ Chasweka, Claudius “Hokoyo’’ Zviripayi, Thomas Kanjanda and Peter Chimbunda.

In the twilight of his career he teamed-up with Rufaro Rovers and leading the side to Premiership promotion in 1994 alongside the late Stanley “Chola’’ Manyati, Godfrey Paradza, Jona “Zvigubhu’’ Tasanangurwa, Owen Nunhama, Shingirai Alron Twaliki and David Malunga.

After his swansong with Zim Alloys in Gweru, Ndonya began his coaching career which took him to teams like ZRP Gweru Central, ZRP Gwanda, Zupco (all in Division 2), before taking up goalkeeper training positions in the Premiership with Motor Action, Blue Rangers and Gunners.

But now, he is back where his passion lies — junior development.  

“The vision of the academy is to have as many youngsters as possible being taken out of poverty and social vices like alcohol and drug abuse through football.

“We would want to give them the lifeline and also to play our part in developing players for the senior national team.

“I think we are having a challenge these days where you find that we don’t have a lot of youngsters coming up through the ranks to play for local clubs and also the national team.

“So it’s very important that we groom youngsters who can take over because we realise that players like Knowledge Musona, Khama Billiat and a number of their contemporaries are now in the twilight of their careers.

“So we need quality players coming up to fill the spaces,” said Ndonya.