The ex-Zimbabwe youth international explains the circumstances that led him to joining the Soweto giants in 2002
Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Kelvin Mushangazhike has revealed he and Tinashe Nengomasha were signed by Amakhosi to sell Jabu Mahlangu and Patrick Mbuthu who had allegedly fallen out at the club.
Mushangazhike and Nengomasha were spotted by Chiefs while playing for Zimbabwe at an Under-23 invitational tournament where they attracted interest from a number of Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs who jostled for their signatures.
After proposed moves to Germany and Netherlands fell through, Mushangazhike says he snubbed Jomo Cosmos whose owner Jomo Sono came close to convincing him to sign a contract.
He claims Chiefs football manager Bobby Motaung elbowed Sono out by visiting the Zimbabwe Under-23 hotel with a suitcase full of money as well as a more lucrative deal than the one tabled by Cosmos.
Just after putting pen to paper, Mushangazhike says Motaung and Chiefs chairman Kaizer informed him and Nengomasha that they were coming to the club to drive away Mahlangu and Mbuthu whose tendencies of going AWOL frustrated the club.
“We were told by Bobby Motaung and his father Kaizer Motaung that ‘You know what guys? We have signed you because of two guys who are giving us problems.’ These guys were Jabu Pule [now Mahlangu] and Patrick Mbuthu,” Mushangazhike told Zim Soccernet in conversation with former Mamelodi Sundowns attacker Alois Bunjira.
“We did not know what exactly these guys were doing but what I later heard was that they used to go AWOL and miss some games. Chiefs wanted a strong challenge for these guys.
“They said I must take Jabu Pule out of the team and then Tinashe Nengomasha must take Patrick Mbuthu out of the team. We worked hard and thanked God we had good company off the field.
“At first we were a bit jittery. But we fought for our places in the team and Tinashe was the first one to be given the chance to play. My first chance came after about three games. My first game was against Sundowns at Ellis Park.
“I was told ‘Just go and do what you can do. You know your story, we want this guy [Jabu] to get out of the team.'”
Chiefs' coach was then Muhsin Ertugral who handed Mushangazhike his Chiefs debut.
“I got in as a substitute with 17 minutes to go. But the person I was assigned to move out of the team was not an easy individual. I played with all my life, I ran and ran and ran,” said Mushangazhike.
“I was assigned to take the corner kicks from the right side while Jabu Pule would take care of the corner kicks on the left side. There happened to be a corner kick on the right side and as I went to take it, I passed through Jabu and he told me ‘let’s put more gear.’
"It was like this guy has played for almost 90 minutes but he still has a lot of energy while I have been on the pitch for just 10 minutes but I am already feeling exhausted. I no longer had such energy in me.”
However, Mushangazhike could not replace Mahlangu in the team.
Mahlangu eventually left Chiefs in 2004 to join Austrian side SV Mattersburg before returning home eight months later to join SuperSport United and then Orlando Pirates.