Orlando Pirates Nedbank Cup hero Terrence Dzvukamanja says he never sulked when he was not playing for the club in the first round, but he played a supporting role to other players.
Dzvukamanja hardly featured in the first half of the campaign that just concluded, but blossomed in the second round.
As the saying goes, ‘it is not how you start but how you finish’, and that is exactly what Dzvukamanja has done at Pirates, finishing the season with flurry of goals that were key to see the Soweto giants end up in second place of the DStv Premiership to qualify for the CAF Champions League.
Dzvukamanja, who is out of contract at Pirates by the end of the month, with his agent Mike Makaab set for showdown talks with the club, has seen all of his eight goals coming in the second round.
The latest was last weekend when he flew in the air to divert the cross of Monnapule Saleng in the dying minutes of the Nedbank Cup final against Sekhukhune United. Pirates claimed that trophy which was their second this past season, having won the MTN8 in November.
“Eish, I don’t know how to express it but I’m very, very happy to make the Orlando Pirates family happy and lift the cup,” said Dzvukamanja.
He also recalled the tough times from the first half of the campaign, saying continued to support his teammates, even when he wasn’t playing himself.
“It is all about the team,” he explained.
“When I was not playing, I was supporting the players who were playing and learning.
“I was also working on my fitness and then the coach told me you are ready now to perform and play.”
With little game-time in the first half of the season, Dzvukamanja came so close to leaving Pirates on loan to be reunited with his former coach Gavin Hunt at SuperSport United in the January transfer window.
But Instead he remained behind and Zakhele Lepasa, who had more game-time than him in the first half of 2022/23, including playing in the MTN8 final, left to join the Tshwane giants.
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“I was hearing the rumors and I wasn’t aware of anything because the club didn’t tell me,” replied Dzvukamanja of how close he was to leaving Pirates and joining SuperSport.
