DeMbare test for new Megawatt coach

Nkala’s appointment follows an internal reshuffle that pushed former head coach Mebelo Njekwa upstairs into a newly created technical director role, a move the club says is about tightening decision making after a flat 2025 campaign in the Zifa Southern Region League. Megawatt’s recent history explains the urgency. Formerly known as ESC, Zesa and ZPC Hwange, the club won the Southern Region Division One title in 2024, their first since joining the league in 1989, but never took their place in the Castle Lager Premiership.

The parent company opted to continue funding ZPC Kariba, citing Fifa regulations that bar two teams under the same ownership from competing in the same top flight. Nkala is no outsider. He has served in Megawatt’s technical department for several seasons and is a familiar figure in Matabeleland North football circles, particularly in Hwange and Victoria Falls, where he has built a reputation as a demanding but trusted coach.

Club spokesperson and secretary general Mehluli Thebe said on Tuesday that the Dynamos match is less about the result but more about testing whether the reset is working. “This year, we are going for the championship,” Thebe said, speaking between meetings at Hwange Thermal Power Station. “Last season taught us hard lessons.

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Now we want to see how far the team has come.” Thebe confirmed that the club has retained its technical spine while redefining roles. Nkala takes charge as head coach, assisted by Brighton “Skizo” Siziba, with former Hwange centre back Gerald “Choto” Ndlovu as second assistant. Brightlike Kekala remains goalkeepers coach, while former Hwange and ZPC Hwange striker Azele Kwabe has been appointed team medic alongside doctor Ennie Sibanda.

Off the pitch, Petronella Lubinda handles media duties, Tafila Mpala is kit manager and club legend Carrington Gomba oversees player welfare, a nod to the club’s attempt to restore identity after a season of churn. Recruitment has leaned heavily on youth. Megawatt have recalled Ashley Tembo from Ingagula and signed teenagers Dean Jaire and Brandon Kwabe, both 17, from the same feeder side.

Kirvy Zulu (17), Pilot Sibanda (19) and Petros Mangena (20) arrive from Blackrock, a team coached by former Zimbabwe international Mthulisi Masuku. Thebe said the Blackrock trio stood out in a campaign built on defensive discipline and quick transitions. “They played exciting football and they defended well.

That is the profile we want,” he said. The clear out was equally decisive. Dingani Maphosa, Fortune Nkomazana, Richard Anesu, Shayne Chimutengo, Lloyd Mutoma, John Chienyerere, London Zulu and Rodwitt Ndlovu have all been released as the club trims its squad to match its new direction.

Megawatt also plan to launch an Under 17 side this year, part of a longer term strategy to avoid the boom and bust cycles that have defined their last decade. The title race will not be forgiving. Nkayi United, Talen Vision, Bulawayo Warriors and perennial contenders Hwange are all expected to challenge, leaving little margin for a slow start. Wednesday’s meeting with Dynamos offers Nkala an early measure of whether belief inside the camp is matched by readiness on the pitch.

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