Shamva is a town alive with the spirit of excitement.
For years, football fans in the mining town craved Premier Soccer League (PSL) football and their dream came true when Simba Bhora got promoted at the end of the 2022 season.
Just two seasons into the country’s top-flight, Simba fans are no longer satisfied with just participation —they want to win the biggest club prize in Zimbabwean football.
Tonderai Ndiraya’s charges edged Bulawayo Chiefs 1-0 at Wadzanai Stadium on Saturday, leapfrogging FC Platinum into first position on the log standings in the process.
Walter Musona’s first half free kick, delivered with precision and style, was all Simba needed to register their 14th win of the season.
Conveniently for Ndiraya’s charges, FC Platinum lost 0-1 to Bikita Minerals 24 hours later —a result which now sees Go Buju Go two points clear of the platinum miners.
Ndiraya insists they are not worried about how their title rivals fare, as focus is sorely on Simba winning their own games.
“To be quite honest we are not focused on that (how teams below us on the log standings fare) at the moment, there are still so many games to play. There are still 30 points to play for after this game,” said Ndiraya after the victory over Chiefs.
“We are not focusing on that (what happens with our rivals). We want to keep doing what we are doing. We want to concentrate on ourselves at the moment.
“If those that are trailing us stumble, then so be it but at the moment we are fully focused on what we are doing. If we continue getting good results, the time will come when we start talking about something else but at the moment we want to focus on ourselves,” added Ndiraya.
Interestingly, of all the teams in the title matrix, Simba have lost to FC Platinum only.
Ndiraya’s troops beat defending champions Ngezi Platinum Stars, Manica Diamonds and Highlanders.
They collected four points from Dynamos and also beat CAPS United at Rufaro.
Simba Bhora spokesperson Charles Nyatsine admits that the special and unbeatable feeling of expectation is upon the club’s fans.
“It is indeed so exciting to be on top of the league this season, especially after our past experience in our maiden appearance last year,” Nyatsine told Soccer24.
“Our fans across the country are so anxious and hoping that this is our year. Finally, the lords of football could be smiling on us.
“Definitely, it will be written in the books of history that a team from a small town of Shamva finally got the price for both patience and endurance, considering that this journey started way back in 2008,” he added.
Nyatsine heaped praise on Simba founder and president Simba ‘Buju’ Ndoro, describing the mining mogul as an attentive leader.
“The dream has been kept alive by a set of a focused leader, Doctor Simba Ndoro, determined technical team and players as well as lovely and motivating supporters who have shown faith in the team.
“We, however, know that this race is still on, and l know our technical team will not relax as winning the league is not going to be a walk in the park. Despite this, we remain highly optimistic,” added Nyatsine.
Simba’s Tymon Machope is the league’s joint top goal scorer with 10 goals, with Yadah’s Khama Billiat and CAPS United’s William Manondo.