Alois Bunjira explains how he chose CAPS United despite his Dynamos family

My first experience of the Harare Derby was as a young football fan in Zengeza. We hardly had any money to go watch the matches at the stadium, but Charles Mabika and Evans Mambara would bring the matches to our homes through Radio 1 commentary.

We would basically “watch” the Derby on radio,if you know what I mean. In my early years, before I started school, my whole family supported Dynamos. Incidentally I started off just following my brothers and father, as a Dynamos fan, through the radio.

Everything changed for me at the beginning of 1982, as a 7 year old, when my father brought home the Castle Soccer Stars of the Year calendar. The main man on that calendar was Stanley Sinyo Ndunduma.

I fell in love with Sinyo that very moment and a deep love and a deep desire to be like him one day engulfed me. I started following CAPS United games just to hear about my new idol, Stanley Ndunduma.

I started cutting every picture of Stanley Ndunduma from all print media and pasted into my Soccer book. I basically turned into a CAPS United fan and suddenly I had CAPS United pin ups from magazines and I knew all the CAPS United players.

When Sinyo left CAPS United, I stayed behind as a CAPS United fan, but he remained my idol, even through his time at Black Rhinos, where I later got to interact with him on a personal level when I joined Black Rhinos Under 14 team. Inspirational he was.

But the dream of playing for CAPS United one day was imprinted in my heart. I remember one day when I was playing for Hotspurs Under 12 in Zengeza,our coach, Mdhara Ncube arranged a friendly match against CAPS United.

They came with their Under 14 team with players like Engelbert Kahuni, Shingi Twaliki etc to Zengeza.

I remember how myself, Stewart Murisa and Godwin Stone,just like other kids, also ran to the parking lot to admire the CAPS United articulated bus and admired the young Caps United players as they jumped off the bus.

For a moment we actually forgot that we were going to play against them ….kkkkk. We drew that match 1-1.

I remember Stanley Malanda scoring our equalizer. I was basically playing against my team.

My first great memory of the Harare Derby was when CAPS United beat Dynamos 7-0 at Rufaro Stadium. We “watched” that game on radio in Zengeza and Charles Mabika was in top gear that day. What a match it was.

However, it was a few years on, before I got the chance to watch my first ever Harare Derby at the stadium. I am not sure if it was in 1988 or 1989. I went to the National Sports Stadium with my late brother, Elias Bunjira.

Elia was a staunch Dynamos fan while I was now a die hard CAPS United fan. It was the Castle Cup final. With the teams tied at 1-1, CAPS United introduced Never Chiku,towards the end of the game.

With the match seemingly heading for Extra time, George Nechironga broke loose on the right flank and hit a ground shot which was parried by Peter Fanwell into the path of Never Chiku who slotted the ball into the empty net.

I erupted into joy. I looked at my brother and saw tears in his eyes. Here I was celebrating and my brother crying. I felt a bit sorry for him but I wasn’t going to have my joy extinguished. Soon after, it was full time and CAPS United had won.

This match has remained in my memory since. What a moment it was and deep down it increased the fire and my desire to one day play for this club. How I didn’t know.

When I played for Darryn T, in my first full season in the Super League, as a 17 year old boy, we once hammered CAPS United 4-1 in the Castle Cup final, with me scoring a double.

It was a bitter-sweet victory. At that time I wasn’t following the Harare Derby that much because I was also now busy playing at the same level and we would have games on the same day at times or same weekend.

Related Articles

Alois Bunjira’s Albun Fitness again partners with…

Oct 4, 2024 17,058

Murape Murape quits Dynamos amidst growing tension with…

Oct 2, 2024 40,395

Junior Bunjira scores his first PSL goal as CAPS United stun…

Sep 16, 2024 21,361

Dynamos to play Botswana’s Orapa United in CAF…

Aug 27, 2024 19,338 Prev Next 1 of 460

The turning point came in 1995 after the All Africa Games in Harare. We were preparing for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics qualifier against NIGERIA. Mr Shepherd Bwanya came to our camp at UZ and asked me and Shuto to join CAPS United the following year.

At that time we were happy at Blackpool and we told him that we would decide at the end of the season. Apparently Blackpool messed up and we really wanted to leave. After the season Morrison Sifelani of Dynamos came to us with a great offer to join Dynamos.

We went to his office in town and he put the offer in writing. We took the offer to our manager Wieslaw Grabowski who tore the offer into pieces saying he would never agree to let us join Dynamos as long as he was alive…kkkkkk.

He was very bitter with Morrison Sifelani and he hated Dynamos to the core. Somehow news that Dynamos offered us a contract reached Shepherd Bwanya who immediately came to see us in town. He took us to his office in town at Geddes Limited.

I told him I was on my way to Poland for trials. Mr Bwanya insisted I sign a contract with CAPS United, in case I didn’t sign in Poland. We agreed on that and I signed. 3 months later I quit Poland and came back to join Stewart and CAPS United.

With that I stood in line for my first ever HARARE Derby as a player.

My most memorable Harare Derby as a player was the 1997 BP League cup final at the National Sports Stadium when I scored a double including the extra time winner to lift the trophy. I had an outstanding tournament and capped it all up with that spectacular double.

However we had other fierce battles in the 3 years I played for CAPS United. I remember the 1996 BP league cup semi final when Kaitano Tembo got a Red Card after 2 brutal tackles on me. He got the red card with 7 minutes remaining on the clock.

From the resultant free kick Stewart Murisa Volleyed home to give CAPS United the lead. Ha the Dynamos fans would not have it.They invaded the pitch and the police had to fire several teargas canisters.

The match was abandoned amid the thick smoke of tear gas at Rufaro Stadium. I have never suffered from teargas the way I suffered that day. It ended up being the worst end to a Harare Derby that I can remember.

The PSL booted Dynamos out of the tournament and we went through to the final. I also remember the Charity Shield semi final in 1997 when Kaitano Tembo once again got a red card early in the game for another brutal tackle on me. We went on to beat Dynamos 3-1.

The low for CAPS United was when we lost a league match 1-0 to Dynamos in 1996 at NSS and another loss in the Castle Cup semi final at the same venue, the sane year. But the most dramatic Harare Derby during my time at Caps United was when we drew 1-1 at Rufaro Stadium.

We were leading the log standings by 4 points with 3 games to go when we played Dynamos. They needed to beat us to close the gap to 1 point. With Dynamos leading 1-0 with about 3 minutes to go to full time we got a free kick on the edge of the box.

Mpumelelo Dzowa hit a screamer and gave Gift Muzadzi no chance. The stadium went crazy. The CAPS United fans went crazy. We went on to win our remaining 2 matches and won the league by the 4 points.

I am told there were other fierce Harare Derby battles after I left for South Africa during the Mhlauri days but I never got to watch any of them.

I watched the Harare Derbies when I came back to Zimbabwe. I remember losing the Derby at NSS when I was part of the coaching team with Takaendesa Jongwe.

In the last few years the Harare Derby had lost its shine a bit but this year the fire seems to be back. The first reverse fixture was fiercely fought. And on my part the fact that my son was involved in that fixture, just like I did those many years ago also added to the excitement.

It is the same thing today (Sunday) as we watch the Harare Derby this afternoon. Needless to say, the whole Bunjira clan turned into CAPS United fans when I started playing for the club.

You can imagine the buzz in the family, with Junior now playing for the same club now.

Who will carry the day?

I say CAPS United. What say you?

Alois Bunjira (born 29 March 1975) is a Zimbabwean former international footballer who played as a forward for Darryn Textiles, Blackpool, CAPS United, QwaQwa Stars, Bidvest Wits, Mamelodi Sundowns, Jomo Cosmos and FC AK