But all the promise went down the drain as alcohol took over his live and robbed him of his health and skill.
“Life is not easy for me now. I failed to plan my future and now I have to live from hand to mouth,” said the former striker. “I work in people’s houses and in their gardens for survival. I wish I had studied further while I was still young with energy and no responsibility.”
A self-confessed alcoholic, Zivira admitted that his love for booze contributed to him destroying his erstwhile promising career in the “beautiful game”.
He advised budding footballers to concentrate on their career, and not sacrifice it on the altar of drinking and grooving.
“There will still be plenty of beer to drink after hanging up your boots, for those who cannot handle it, while those who can should drink responsibly I personally know that I disappointed my coach, Mhlauri and former club director, Delma Lupepe with my drinking habit,” he said.
“I drank too much and that lowered my performance and took me off focus, but still I blamed it on other people, refusing to take the blame. I was given an opportunity by Amazulu and Railstars, but I failed to utilise it.”
Having joined Amazulu from Blue Swallows in 1997, Zivira went on to become a regular at the Bulawayo-based club, where he competed for a starting berth with strongman Norman Nkomani, Saidi Saidi and the now-late Costa Chiimba.
Although he continued to bang-in the goals in the subsequent seasons, pressure kept mounting for him with the cash-rich club continuing to sign more talented players, as it bid to wrestle league honours from cross-town rivals, Highlanders, who were dominating the PSL by then.
As competition grew, the striker quit the club in 2000 to join Usuthu’s neighbours, Railstars, where he played alongside the Masiku brothers – Mtewa and Master, Kelvin Maseko, Charles Chilufya and Tirivaviri Sithole.
“I had been in the league for two seasons, hoping for success with Amazulu, but I failed to handle pressure because things kept being tougher. It was both stiff competition and personal problems that forced me out of Amazulu. Most clubs wanted to sign me, but I opted for Railstars, even ahead of Highlanders.”
Fitting into the Njanji set-up also proved a toll order and Zivira eventually quit the game, joining the great trek to neighbouring South Africa in pursuit of changed fortunes.
His career lasted only three years, but he left an indelible mark on the PSL with his goals-coring prowess, which left many top goalkeepers clutching thin air.
Having joined Amazulu at 20 years, Zivira also represented the country’s Under-20 and Under-23 level.
Apart from his top goal-scorer award, Zivira was also voted the most promising player award at the gold and black outfit in the same year he had joined.
He is now employed with a private company in Johannesburg, where we works as a general hand and said he would forever regret messing up a career that would have given him a better life.
Post published in: Football