Orlando Pirates attacker Terrence Dzvukamanja has claimed that he received death threats from unknown individuals who wanted him to leave the club when he struggled for form.
Dzvukamanja joined Pirates back in 2020 on a three-year deal. He battled to adjust to life at the Soweto giants as he put in several below-par performances. As a result, the club’s supporters booed him whenever he was introduced to play.
However, the arrival of coach Jose Riveiro at the start of the 2022/23 season saw a change in fortune for the Zimbabweans.
DZVUKAMANJA HIT FORM
With fans calling for Dzvukamanja’s head, the attacker hit form in the second half of the just-ended season. He netted eight goals in 20 matches in all competitions.
In addition, the forward played a vital role in Pirates winning the Nedbank Cup and second place in the DStv Premiership.
“I received death threats; they didn’t want me here at Pirates,” said Dzvukamanja in a three-part television documentary on SuperSport TV about the Buccaneers.
“It happened last year, from September 2022 until December. They would come into my inboxes, and they would call me. I don’t know where they got my number from.
“Even at malls, there was a time I went to a mall, and someone told me directly, ‘If you can’t leave, we will make you leave.’ I don’t respond in such cases.
“They would keep sending messages saying, ‘We know you are ignoring us, but if you don’t tell your agent or your bosses you want to leave, we will make you leave — or [make you] leave the earth’.
“By that time, I had to tell my parents, my agent, even the team’s boss about what was happening,” added the soft-spoken player.
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THREATS AND MESSAGES
The 29-year-old admitted he got the threats and messages when his future at Pirates was bleak, as he also had little game time.
Terrence Dzvukamanja, a breadwinner for his family based in Chegutu in Zimbabwe, said that he nearly turned to alcohol to deal with the threats as he was depressed.
“I was scared then; I won’t lie because anything can happen. Sometimes I would come to training, but my mind was not there,” he declared. “It affected my game because mentally, I was not okay. I would say that, yes, I went through depression because sometimes.
“I would feel it was better for me to drink alcohol so I could relax, or else it would be stressful. It was very stressful. It was draining me emotionally. They said I had to leave the club because I didn’t deserve to be at Pirates.”