HARARE - Nelson Maziwisa, Zimbabwe’s deadliest striker in the just-ended 2012 domestic season, quietly slipped out of the country last week for trials with debuting South African Premiership side Chippa United.

The Shabanie Mine forward, who scored 18 Premiership goals to clinch the Castle Golden Boot award, joined the fledgling Cape Town outfit early last week hoping to impress the Chilli Boys’ coach Farouk Abrahams and his technical bench.

Maziwisa, however, arrived in South Africa as an FC Platinum player following the expiry of his one-year loan deal at Zvishavane neighbours Shabanie.

The twice-capped Zimbabwe international finished the local Premiership’s top goal-scorer only in his first season of top flight football, having been loaned to Shabanie by Platinum at the beginning of the year.

His departure for Cape Town comes a week after telling this paper he was now living in fear in the football-crazy mining town of Zvishavane after reaping handsome financial rewards in the just-ended season.

Maziwisa said the 18 goals he scored in the season have gained him more enemies than friends in the town, claiming he had received threats to “teach me a lesson.”

Maziwisa’s club form earned him a national team call-up for a friendly international against Zambia in Ndola in August before coming on as a substitute for his competitive debut in an African Nations Cup qualifier against Angola in September.   

The Warriors won that first leg 3-1 at Rufaro Stadium and received $3000 in bonuses.

The former Mimosa striker added to his bank account by winning the Golden Boot Award, which comes with $3500.

He is also set to get an extra $1000 for being one of the 11 Soccer Star of the Year finalists, taking his tally to $8500.

A good striker of the ball who is strong on the ground and in the air, many expected Maziwisa to attract the interest of bigger South African clubs following his goal-scoring exploits in Zimbabwe – but playing for a modest club like Shabanie as opposed to traditional giants Dynamos, CAPS United and Highlanders – foreign clubs tend to think less of such players.  

On the contrary, Dynamos forward Rodreck Mutuma caught the attention of Ajax Cape Town and Kaizer Chiefs after scoring five goals less than Maziwisa on his way to winning the Golden Boot award last year, although he was not signed in the end.

Back in 2009, Nyasha Mushekwi was snapped up by South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns from CAPS United after topping Zimbabwe’s goal-scoring charts with 21 goals. Another former CAPS player, Simba Sithole, only needed 10 goals to move to Sundowns in the mid-season stage of 2011.

In comparison, Norman Maroto failed to land a contract outside the country after his goals helped Gunners to the Zimbabwean league title in 2009 before finally taking the Golden Boot award the following season.