Takwara reveals reasons for leaving Ajax

Sport
FORMER Warriors midfielder Gerald Takwara has revealed how a salary cut led to his unceremonious exit from South African club Ajax Cape Town halfway through his contract last year.

BY JOTHAM GUTSA

FORMER Warriors midfielder Gerald Takwara has revealed how a salary cut led to his unceremonious exit from South African club Ajax Cape Town halfway through his contract last year.

The 25-year-old gritty midfielder made a return to the local top-flight league last year after joining Ngezi Platinum during the mid-season transfer window following his 18-month stint in South Africa.

Takwara told Standardsport that he could have remained at the Cape Town-based club if they had not unilaterally cut his salary following their relegation to the South African National First Division in 2018.

“Halfway through my contract, the management at the club decided to lower my salary as we were now playing in the National First Division. They said that the salary they were initially paying me was when the team was still playing in the Absa Premiership and I felt hard done by that development and negotiations reached a deadlock and that’s when I decided to pack my bags and head back home,” Takwara said.

Takwara, nicknamed “The General”, remains optimistic of making a return to South Africa or earning a move overseas if he remains focused on his game.

“After that fallout at Ajax I always feel my time will come again to shine and play in better leagues though at the moment I am focused on Ngezi Platinum. I am starting afresh here and I know my time will come again.”

With the local league still to kick off due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Takwara, like many other players, is itching to return to the field of play and help his club win some silverware.

He lamented the delay to the 2020 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season kickoff, describing it as a setback in his career.

“As a football player, I feel it’s one season gone already in one’s career so it’s tough for everyone. It’s is nobody’s fault, but we need to live with what is happening in the world. As for training individually, I am trying to keep in shape but obviously I won’t reach the original par which is different from the team set-up. When you get tired you just tell yourself you need to rest so it is really tough,” said the gritty midfielder.