Onward Gangata
THE road less traveled is often the one most people avoid but for Chilli FC coach, Ronald Mazivofa, it is a road that has led him to his eureka moment.
At the beginning of the year, Mazivofa was part of the technical team at TelOne, a club he called home for nearly a decade.
Mazivofa was in the squad that led TelOne into the Premier Soccer League(PSL) in 2018.
Although he never played for the Wifi Boys in the PSL, he took up a coaching post at the club.
He was one of the performance analysts for Herbert Maruwa helping guide the team to a fifth place finish in 2025.
As fate would have it, coach Ronso, as he is fondly referred to, left the club to embark on a new journey early this year.
He took over the reins at ambitious Chilli FC a Gweru based side playing in the ZIFA Midlands Division Two league.
At first it didn’t make sense to many how he was willing to abandon the glitz and glamour of top flight football.
But for Mazivofa, personal growth was at the core of his decision.
“It was all about developing as a coach,” he told The Echo Sports.
“Everyone has to start somewhere, I had been at TelOne for nearly a decade as a player and a performance analyst, so it was about growth.”
The former FC Victoria player is assisted by ex-TelOne teammate Jones Manduna and former warriors goalkeeper, Edmore Sibanda is the goalkeepers coach.
The team boasts of talented players some of them with premiership experience.
Former Nichrut,Caps United and Harare City defender, Spencer Masunda headlines the star studded cast.
Other notable names include Blessed Mbavarira, Michael Sibanda, Tatenda Mapiye and McDonald Mavuto.
Chilli are currently top of the table in the Midlands Division 2B with 25 points from nine matches and yet to lose a match.
Chilli has become the talk of the town
The team is also attracting huge crowds and creating a lot of buzz in the Midlands capital all because of Mazivofa’s unrelenting approach.
“The popularity and huge crowds can only be two things: good results and our recruitment where we have a lot of local players, that way it is easy to connect with the fans.
“The idea is to go all the way to the top, of course we plan but God decides, however, we want to rub shoulders with the big boys,” he quipped.
His assertion was supported by Masunda who reckons the team does not belong in the second division.
Masunda feels he owes the game a lot and still has a couple of years at the highest level.
“Our target is to gain promotion and play at the highest level, personally I think I still have it in me,” he said.
“I can go on for the next four to five years playing at the highest level and we can achieve that here at Chilli.”
Towering defender, Limba Edwin Sapali , one of the outstanding players so far, echoed the same sentiments.
“Our plan is that we must gain promotion at the end of this season, we have a good squad and we are on the right path, hopefully all works out well,” he said.
