Former Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns playmaker Khama Billiat has opened up about his move to lowly-ranked Zimbabwean side, Yadah FC.
Billiat left Kaizer Chiefs as a free agent, as he was not keen to renew his contract. His time with the Soweto giants ended in a cloud, with nothing to show off.
He joined the club last week after failing to secure a contract in South Africa since leaving Amakhosi.
That marked the end of his 13-year stint in the DStv Premiership. He had an illustrious career that saw him winning the 2015/16 Player of the Season under Pitso Mosimane.
Billiat, now aged 33, will make his first appearance in Zimbabwe’s PSL since 2010 when he left Caps United.
He was unveiled on Thursday at a well-attended ceremony in Harare, along with Yadah FC’s new signings for the 2024 Zimbabwe PSL season.
WHAT KHAMA BILLIAT SAID ABOUT HIS MOVE TO YADAH FC
Speaking for the first time after his move, the ex-Sundowns playmaker Khama Billiat was on cloud nine.
“Firstly, I want to thank God. There is so much love in Zimbabwe, this is great I have been homesick for some time and being here, having so much love.
“I’m looking forward to enjoying football here in Zimbabwe. I’m grateful that I still have a chance to play here in Zimbabwe. I don’t think, I’ve ever been loved like this before. I didn’t know how it is, it’s a great feeling.
“Yadah FC is a special team and I have been watching them, they play beautiful football despite winning or losing. Their football is beautiful.
“I came from an academy so, this is the only place I thought, I would come. They showed so much love for me and they sacrificed a lot for me,” Billiat said.
The former Mamelodi Sundowns first played for Ajax Cape Town [now known as Cape Town Spurs].
He then went on to have a trophy-laden career at Mamelodi Sundowns from 2013 to 2018. After that, he joined Amakhosi where his star ceased to shine.
WHAT BILLIAT IS EARNING AT YADAH
In six years at Naturena, he won nothing before he snubbed a contract renewal. And as he joins Yadah, Billiat became the highest earner in the league, pocketing about R95,500 [US$5 000] per month.
In securing Billiat’s signature, they splashed R378,000 [US$20 000] in signing-on fees for Billiat, who was a free agent
He also received a brand new Land Rover Defender valued at R2.2 million after joining the club.
Moreso, from playing for teams that want to win all silverware in South Africa, Billiat joins a team that escaped relegation by a whisker last season.
The Miracle Boys as Yadah are fondly known are hoping the former Chiefs star will inject firepower into their ambitious project to dominate Zimbabwean football.
Yadah owner, Prophet Walter Magaya recently completed the construction of a 5000-seater stadium. The facility, Heart Stadium, is set to be in use when Zimbabwe’s Castle Lager Premier Soccer League kicks off on 9 March.
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