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 Hadebe

Sports Reporter
TEENAGE Hadebe became the latest Zimbabwean player to join the Great Trek to the ABSA Premiership after completing a three-year deal with South Africa giants Kaizer Chiefs.

The Bantu Rovers product will join compatriots Michelle Katsvairo and Edmore Chirambadare at AmaKhosi while another Zimbabwean Tanaka Chinyahara could also make a move to the Naturena.

Chinyahara, who played youth football at Bidvest Wits before moving to Denmark two years ago, yesterday joined Chiefs when they began their pre-season training.

But while the position was not clear on the 21-year-old midfielder, the club announced in a statement yesterday that Hadebe had signed three years together with ex- Maritzburg United midfielder Philani Zulu.

Chiefs football manager Bobby Motaung welcomed the duo while promising that more signings will be made to give coach Steve Komphela the material he needs to challenge for honours.

“We have been working throughout the break to negotiate and finalise some of these deals. We need to make sure that coach Steve and his new assistant have a strong team that will compete fiercely in the new season.

“We welcome the duo to our stable and hope that they live up to expectations and make our supporters happy. We have been monitoring them and we really felt they could help improve our squad,” said Motaung.

Hadebe, who had a brilliant day when Zimbabwe thrashed Liberia 3-0 in last month’s AFCON qualifier at the National Sports Stadium, was signed from Chicken Inn.

Hadebe trained with Kaizer Chiefs during last year’s pre-season, but the club could not secure his signature at the time. But the lanky defender returned to South Africa last week to complete negotiations.

He was part of the cast when Kaizer Chiefs began their 2017-18 pre-season training programme yesterday. The team returned last Thursday to undergo medicals, but only started full training in the morning yesterday under the guidance of Komphela and his new assistant Patrick Mabedi.