All roads lead to Hwange as Bosso, DeMbare touch down for Munhumutapa

Hwange is bracing for a football feast this weekend as Zimbabwe’s football giants Highlanders and Dynamos descend on the mining town for Munhumutapa Challenge Cup action.

Dynamos departed Harare this morning ahead of their Round of 32 tie against Hwange on Saturday at the Colliery Stadium.

Highlanders will follow 24 hours later, taking on Black Rock on Sunday at the same venue.

The fixtures have sparked excitement across Hwange and surrounding communities, who have not watched the two Zimbabwe giants play competitively at Colliery since 2024 when Hwange FC was relegated from the Premiership.

Ahead of the trip, Highlanders announced three new additions and two departures.

Emmanuel Saidi joins on loan from Scottland FC, Brighton Makopa arrives on a permanent deal from Chicken Inn FC while
Liam Mabidi signs permanently from Dulibadzimu FC.

The club has also released Brighton Ncube and Dominic Jaricha.

Speaking to Fanzone, Matabeleland North ZIFA officer Busani Dube said hosting the two traditional giants of Zimbabwean football was a major boost for the province.

“Talking as a ZIFA officer, this is a big opportunity for us to host such big clubs. Most of us will get to practice our skills out of passion in making sure that these games run smoothly in Hwange,” Dube said.

“We have referees, match commissioners, match observers, and general coordinators. All these will get exposure as the association has tried to ensure they are appointed locally. Going forward, we hope this will put us in the spotlight for appointments even outside our province. For long we have been left out ever since Hwange was relegated.

Munhumutapa Challenge Cup prize money

Round of 32 Exit: $15,000
Round of 16 Exit: $30,000
Quarterfinals Exit: $50,000
Semifinals Exit: $96,000
Losing Finalists: $400,000
Winners: $500,000, plus an additional $500,000 for CAF Confederation Cup participation.