The lie Kaizer Chiefs used to snatch Tinashe Nengomasha from Jomo Sono
Some two decades ago, the legendary Jomo Sono was convinced he had secured himself a teenage midfield grafter in Tinashe Nengomasha. It was as good as a done deal!
The ‘Black Prince of South African Soccer’, gifted with a sharp eye for talent, had scouted the Zimbabwean at a COSAFA youth tournament in Johannesburg.
Of course, Nengomasha had a verbal agreement to join Bulawayo giants Highlanders after that particular tournament.
TINASHE NENGOMASHA CAUGHT THE EYE OF JOMO SONO
“We were looking for those breakthroughs as youngsters, so I felt it was time to move when [Emmett] Ndlovu [Highlanders manager] approached me.
“I agreed that they register me as part of their CAF Champions League squad, and I would sign for the club when I return home from the national Under 20 team assignment at the Cosafa Youth Championships,” recalls Nengomasha.
There was no way Sono was going to miss the budding ‘General’, who was the glue that held together Nelson Matongorere’s Young Warriors.
And, seeing the Black Prince of Mzansi show interest in him was pretty interesting. He made it clear to those around him that he was going with Jomo Sono.
In any case, the Jomo Cosmos founder had a reputation for sending talents overseas. So, for a Zimbabwean boy with a dream of playing overseas, it all made sense to join him.
“Yes, Jomo wanted me around that time, and he had agreed to come to Zimbabwe to sign me,” Nengomasha tells FARPost.
IT WAS A DONE DEAL
A Zimpapers journalist who had travelled with the junior national team for that tournament recalls how it was a done deal.
“It was as good as a done deal for ‘Bra J’ until Kaizer Chiefs asked Luke Petros to take the boy to Naturena, together with Kelvin Mushangazhike.
“He was blown upon his arrival at Naturena. Chiefs elbowed ‘Bra J’ out when he returned by visiting Holiday Inn Milpark [now Garden Court] with a more lucrative deal than the one tabled by Jomo Cosmos.”
A fortnight ago, ‘Bra J’ shared his version of events. He revealed the lie Chiefs told Nengomasha to snatch him from under his nose.
“Chiefs went to the boy’s hotel, and seeing he insisted on joining Jomo; they told him Jomo had sent them. That’s how they managed to sign him eventually,” Sono says.
Thomas Sweswe, a childhood friend of Nengomasha, knows another factor why the Soweto giants piped Ezinkosi to his signature. He says Bobby Motaung arrived in Harare the following day after Nengomasha returned home from the Cosafa tournament to conclude the deal.
SUCCESSFUL CAREER
“Chiefs showed more seriousness; they even went to Zimbabwe to meet his parents. His late father told Bobby to take good care of him since he would be in SA far from him [as he lived in Zimbabwe],” says Sweswe, who is also based in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare.
Nengomasha went on to have a successful career at Naturena, marshalling their midfield for 11 years.
He was instrumental when Chiefs won two successive titles – 2003/04 and 2004/05 – ending a seven-year league title drought.
His Amakhosi trophy haul also included two MTN8 Cups, the Nedbank Cup, five Telkom Knockout trophies and three Vodacom Challenge titles.
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