HARARE - There is an unprecedented easiness in the Highlanders camp although they are set to lose three of their star performers Kuda Mahachi, Milton Ncube and Peter ‘Rio’ Moyo.
The trio is set to join Mamelodi Sundowns, Ajax Cape Town and Mpumalanga Black Aces in the South African Absa Premiership at the start of next month.
Most people would have thought that alarm bells would have already started ringing at the Bulawayo giants since these three players appear to be the driving force behind Bosso’s good start to the 2014 season.
Kelvin Kaindu’s side is unbeaten in nine games and Bosso are now favourites to wrestle the title away from Dynamos.
Although they are set to lose their star players, Highlanders fans are not panicking because they believe the player integral to their good start is midfielder Welcome Ndiweni.
After a frustrating two-year stay with FC Platinum, the 25-year-old returned to Bulawayo at the start of this season.
Back at his boyhood club, the midfielder has flourished as a deep lying playmaker and in most occasions has relegated Moyo to the bench due to his outstanding form.
Even Bosso coach, Kelvin Kaindu has taken notice of Ndiweni’s outstanding displays this season.
“I think he has contributed a lot to the team since he has come in. He can play in almost every position in the midfield,” Kaindu told the Daily News on Sunday.
“Even when we have asked him to come off the bench, he has proved to be an impact player and has helped us change most games.”
When he returned from Zvishavane, most people thought the midfielder was making a mistake to join Bosso as he had to contend for a starting place with the likes of ‘Rio’ Moyo, Eric Mudzingwa, Simon Munawa and Mthulisi Maphosa.
For a player who had seen little game time at FC Platinum, it would have been impossible for him to get a starting berth ahead of such illustrious midfielders at the club.
Ndiweni has, however, forced the issue by putting in some workman-like performances which has made it difficult for the coaches to ignore.
Speaking with the daily News on Sunday, Ndiweni, who also had a stint with Masvingo United, attributed his early season success to hard work.
“There is not much to say but the fact that I have been working hard since I returned to Highlanders,” the soft spoken midfielder said.
A true box-to-box midfielder, Ndiweni puts in some huge shifts in that Bosso midfield covering the entire field.
With pace injected into the Bosso wings with the acquisition of Mahachi and Rahman Kutsanzira, the Bulawayo giants have hurt most teams on the counter this season.
It is Ndiweni’s role to make sure that the transition from defence and attack is at lightning speed in order to create one-on-one situations for Mahachi and Kutsanzira in the flanks.
“Everything seems to work out for me here because Highlanders is my childhood club and when I made the decision to return, I knew everything would fall in place.”
This afternoon, Ndiweni is coming up against his former paymasters, FC Platinum and it seems that his futile stay in Zvishavane is still on his mind.
“I do not want to say much about my time at FC Platinum because they are the team we are playing against this weekend,” he says.
“This is football any team can win the game and I just want to concentrate on my team Highlanders.”