BANTU Rovers are revelling in glory following a successful season in which they dominated all competitions by winning all age-group titles from the Under-14s up to the senior team, which landed the Zifa Southern Region Division One League title.

Rovers, formed in 2008, comfortably won the Zifa Bulawayo Province Junior League Serie A Under-14, 16 and 18 titles, while their first team were crowned regional champions after beating Amagagasi 1-0 in Victoria Falls on the last day of the season.

Wilbert Sibanda, Rovers’ general-manager, said they were enjoying the fruits of investing in junior development and his club would strive to be the best institution in grooming young talent.

He said Rovers’ best performing group were the Under-18s, who won the league title without losing a game, replicating their 2011 “golden generation”, which had the likes of Netherlands-based Marvelous Nakamba, South African-based Kudakwashe Mahachi, FC Platinum’s Moyo twins Kevin and Elvis, as well as Chicken Inn’s Teenage Hadebe. 

“It has been a fruitful season for us and winning all competitions shows that we’re a serious force in domestic football. Our thrust is to develop and nurture talent and to produce student athletes that will go on to be ambassadors, not only for Bantu Rovers, but Zimbabwe. Our technical teams did a marvellous job and we hope to build from this year’s results,” said Sibanda.

Rovers’ teams have Agent Sawu heading the Under-14 and 16 sides, technical director Methembe Ndlovu in charge of the Under-18s and Johannes Ngodzo the senior team.

Sibanda heaped praises on Ngodzo for becoming the first coach to win them the Southern Region Division One League title.

“Twice we’ve been in the PSL after buying franchises, but winning the regional championship is sweeter than the time we spent in the Premiership. 

“We’ve learnt from past experiences and if we’re to go into the PSL this time around, we won’t be going down soon. 

“Our intentions are to stay longer in the topflight. 

“On behalf of the club management, I would like to congratulate Ngodzo for guiding us to this sweet title victory as well as Sawu and Ndlovu, who had some of the Under-16 and 18 players featuring in the senior team,” said Sibanda.

At the beginning of the season, Rovers made a deliberate decision to have two thirds of their first team players being Under-20 in a move aimed at giving exposure to youngsters in highly competitive matches.

They had the likes of Denzel Khumalo, Leslie Lunga, Bukhosi Sibanda and Ngoni Chodeva, who are members of the national Under-20 squad, featuring prominently in the Southern Region Division One League.

Meanwhile, Rovers who recruited renowned juniors’ trainer Dumaza Dube at the beginning of the year as the club’s academic coordinator, have started the process of securing scholarships for their youngsters.

“This year saw us facilitate scholarships for two student athletes Marvin Sibanda and Nkosiphile Dube to bring the number of Bantu Rovers’ students currently studying in the United States to seven. 

“We have already started the process of applying for 2017 scholarship as well as recruiting good players and student athletes,” Sibanda said.

Bulawayo Province Junior League Serie A

Under-14

P W D L F A GD Pts

Bantu Rovers  26 19 5 2 59 15 44 62

Highlanders  27 13 10 4 43 19 24 49

Mpumelelo     27 14 7 6 33 14 19 49

Pumula North   27 13 6 8 30 22 8 45

Under-16

P W D L F A GD Pts

Bantu Rovers    28 24 2 2 72 10 62 74

Mpumelelo        27 14 8 5 41 20 19 50

Chicken Inn      25 11 9 5 29 16 13 42

Highlanders        27 12 6 9 28 23 5 42

Under-18

P W D L F A GD Pts

Bantu Rovers 28 22 6 0 86 17 69 72

Highlanders   27 19 3 5 64 26 38 60

Santos            27 15 3 8 49 42 7 49

Chicken Inn   25 15 3 8 54 29 25 48

Southern Region Division One 

P W D L F A GD Pts

Bantu Rovers      30 20 4 6 49 14 35 64

Bulawayo Chiefs  30 19 7 4 45 17 28 64

Amagagasi          30 17 7 6 34 14 20 58

ZPC Hwange      30 15 10 5 32 17 15 55

— @ZililoR