Dynamos beat Orlando Pirates in Calabash challenge

African club football giants Dynamos FC of Zimbabwe, struggled to beat Orlando Pirates'developmental side 1-0 in the Ubuntu Calabash final match played at the Rand Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

It is a victory that the under fire Dynamos coach Lloyd Mutasa should never be proud of, given the calibre of their opponents in a match which was orgaised to send out a strong message against xenophobia and to promote unity among Africans.

The event marked by the match is a brainchild of the by Johannesburg-based humanitarian organization - the Southern Africa Women's Institute for Migration Affairs (SAWIMA), in partnership with Show Me Your Number (SMYN), Migrants Community Board (MCB) and the Gauteng Department of Sport.

The inaugural match of this kind was played between Jomo Cosmos, now back in topflight football, and Highlanders last year.

At Rand Stadium, veteran Dynamos midfielder Murape Murape provided the lone goal of the match in the 49th minute after working his way past several Pirates juniors.

Pirates' developmental coach Agusto Palacios was very pleased with the performance of his starlets.

“It was a good game and with more luck, we could have drawn or won the game, but I am happy that my boys had a chance to gain some high-level experience,” Palacios said.

“Dynamos are a very much respected team in Zimbabwe and have a big record in Africa, so losing 1-0 to them with these youngsters is not a bad thing at all because that result is not even a true reflection of  the evenly balanced match.

"It is also not the result that counts in this match, but the good cause that we were a part of,” Palacios added.

Lloyd Mutas of Dynamos was pleased with the challenge of the Orlando Pirates juniors.

“I would (also) like to congratulate Pirates for the brilliant youngsters they have in their ranks because these boys are really talented and well-groomed. It shows that the coaches are really doing a great job and this really signals a good future for Orlando Pirates.”

It was pleasing to see former football stars spending time for such a just cause. Edelbert Dinha, a former Pirates and Ajax Cape Town star, and former Chiefs star Thabang Lebese were oped in as ambassadors for the fight against xenophobia.

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