Willard 'Mashinkila' Khumalo back at Bosso

WILLARD Mashinkila-Khumalo has bounced back at Highlanders Football Club after the club's executive offered him a one-year performance based contract as the senior team's welfare manager.

The club also rehired Bekithemba Ndlovu and Tembo Chuma as head coach Kelvin Kaindu's first and second assistants respectively.

Peter Dube, the Highlanders chairman confirmed the technical team appointments and was hopeful that they would deliver.

Khumalo, a former Highlanders player and coach replaces Amin Soma-Phiri whose contract was not renewed after it expired last December.

Nduna's last stint at Highlanders was in 2004 as assistant coach to the late Zambian expatriate Dick Chama.

According to sources, the Highlanders executive met at the club's offices where they unanimously agreed to hire the former Warriors assistant coach, Khumalo, Ndlovu and goalkeepers coach Chuma.

Ndlovu and Chuma were part of Highlanders' technical team last season as assistant coaches to Zambian expatriate Kaindu.

"The executive agreed that the manager should be a fulltime employee and as such, Nduna (Khumalo) who has a wealth of experience got the job. It was a unanimous decision.

"Some of the people who were in the picture for the welfare manager's job were Douglas ‘British' Mloyi and Netsai ‘Super' Moyo but they lost out because they are employed elsewhere," said the source.

Mloyi is a former Highlanders senior team manager while Moyo was once Bantu Rovers' manager when they were in the Premiership.

The move by the Bosso executive to fill in the senior team's technical department vacancies should provide relief to Kaindu who has been working alone since the start of pre-season training last month.

Ndlovu and Chuma were seen taking notes from the terraces during Highlanders' 2-0 loss to crack South African side Mamelodi Sundowns at Barbourfields Stadium last Wednesday.

The developments mean that Highlanders will face Dynamos in the first leg of the Bob 89 Super Cup final on Sunday at Barbourfields Stadium with a complete technical team.

Ndlovu and Chuma know most of the players at Bosso and they have three days to help Kaindu decide on the team that will face DeMbare.

"Willard Khumalo is the new Highlanders FC welfare manager for the 2013 season. Everybody else in the senior team technical department has been retained.

"They all have one-year performance based contracts and it is our hope that they will give their best," Dube said.

After hanging up his boots, Khumalo joined Highlanders in 2001 as an assistant coach to the late Eddie May.

When May left at the end of the 2002 season, Khumalo assisted Zambia's Freddie Mwila in 2003 and towards the end of that season he was the senior team's caretaker coach after the departure of Mwila.

The following season, the Highlanders executive then under the leadership of Kennedy Ndebele hired the late Chama to be the club's technical advisor with Khumalo elevated to coach.

Khumalo did not last long as he went on to join Lancashire Steel taking over from Solomon Kaseke and helped the Kwekwe-based side survive relegation before turning them into a force to reckon with.

Madinda Ndlovu replaced Khumalo at Highlanders.

In 2006 Khumalo joined Mwana Africa where he led them to CBZ Cup success which earned them a slot in the Caf Confederation Cup.

Khumalo has also had coaching stints with Botswana's Taffic, Zimbabwe Saints and Strikers FC of Beitbridge.

Meanwhile, Dube said the juniors coaches would be announced soon.

"We should be through with the juniors' coaches by the end of the week," Dube said.

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