Gift Kamuriwo
| Gift Kamuriwo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Gift Kamuriwo 1973 |
| Died | 01 December 2020 |
| Nationality | Zimbabwean |
| Education | Nemakonde High School |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1993 - 2006 |
| Employer | Zimbabwe National Army |
Gift "Guava" Kamuriwo was a former Zimbabwean footballer who was born in 1974. He played for Black Rhinos Football Club as an attacking midfielder. Kamuriwo died from an undisclosed ailment on 01 December 2020 at a military hospital.
Background
Gift Kamuriwo was born in 1973.[1] Running around bare-foot, shirtless, wearing an adidas short and kicking around plastic balls, Kamuriwo’s dream was to see soccer taking him out of the poverty that surrounded him to the glowing lights of Harare. Kamuriwo has risen to the position of Staff Sergeant in the army’s artillery division.
Career
Running around bare-foot, shirtless, wearing an adidas short and kicking around plastic balls, Kamuriwo’s dream was to see soccer taking him out of the poverty that surrounded him to the glowing lights of Harare. In pursuance of that dream, the former Nemakonde High School student joined the now defunct Mhangura FC as a 19-year-old in 1993. “I was playing for LSM in the first Division and then Mhangura chairman Obert Dube lured me to the club. My first game was against Eiffel Flats,” he said. That was the moment Kamuriwo’s journey to stardom began and between 1993 and 1999, he was the toast of the mining community of Mhangura. His exploits caught the eye of Steve Kwashi the Jets coach who lured him to the club thereby partly achieving his dream of playing in the city and closer to Dynamos. “It was in 1999 when I joined Jets, but unfortunately the club was already facing financial problems as they had lost their sponsor. Things were so tight that we had to survive on the goodwill of well-wishers,” he said.
The problems at Jets led him to join army side Black Rhinos Football Club, which proved a wise move as it gave him a career in the army. In 2000 he received a call from the then Dynamos Football Club treasurer, Godfrey Japajapa to join them. His romance with the popular Harare side ended when Kamuriwo, an army employee, was threatened with arrest by the military police. “I was advised that the move to Dynamos was wrong. Thus together with William Chari, we went back to Black Rhinos,” he said. He returned to Black Rhinos and banged 16 goals in the process to help his club to a second position finish in 2002. He was voted first runner up for the Soccer Stars of the Year and was the league's top goalscorer with 16 goals. Kamuriwo was then called to the national team in 2003 and also played in the Confederation Cup in which they lost to Morocco’s Raja Casablanca. However, an ankle injury sustained in 2004 meant that he had to quit playing football in 2006 having captained the club since 2001.[2]
Coaching career
In 2012 Kamuriwo was coaching army team Seven Flames which is in the second division. He also had a stint as the assistant coach at Cranborne Bullets Football Club. He had to join Black Rhinos again this time as the team manager until his sacking in 2019 after implicated in a match fixing scam in a match against Herentals Football Club.[3]
National Team
Kamuriwo was once called to the national team in 2003.
Accolades
- BP Cup Finalists (1995 and 1998 with Mhangura Football Club)
- Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League runners up x1 (2002 with Black Rhinos Football Club)
- Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League Golden Boot winner (2002 with Black Rhinos Football Club)
- 2002 Soccer Star of The Year Runner-Up
Teams Played For
- Mhangura Football Club
- Jets Football Club
- Dynamos Football Club
- Black Rhinos Football Club
Death
Gift Kamuriwo died on Tuesday 1 December 2020 at a military hospital aged 47. His death was confirmed by former Black Rhinos Football Club organising secretary Wellington Mabiginye who served at the same time Kamuriwo was the team manager.
Mabiginye said Kamuriwo had been unwell for some time.
He said:
It’s sad l have received word that Gift "Guava" Kamuriwo has died. He has been unwell for some time,” he said.
References
- ↑ https://www.herald.co.zw/breaking-rhinos-legend-kamuriwo-dies/
- ↑ [1], The Standard, Published: March 17, 2012, Retrieved: February 6, 2020
- ↑ [2], Soccer24, Published: November 8, 2019, Retrieved: February 6, 2020
- ↑ https://www.herald.co.zw/breaking-rhinos-legend-kamuriwo-dies/
