A DAY after masterminding probably the most decisive result in the championship run-in, Rodwell Dhlakama drove all the way, from his base in Mhodoro, to buy some vegetables at Mbare Musika.

He knew the anger, which was simmering in some parts of the capital, after CAPS United’s sensational collapse, in a five-goal thriller at Baobab on Wednesday, derailed the Green Machine’s march towards the Premiership title.

As a veteran coach, he has taken in a lot of insults and abuse, in his career, but he never imagined someone would label him a dissident.

“I don’t know whether he knew I was the man they were talking about but there were some people discussing the game on Wednesday and how we had made life difficult for CAPS United,’’ he told The Herald.

“Then, I overhead someone asking, ‘Who the hell is this Dhlakama who brought us all this pain?’

“The answer, from the other man, is what caught my attention because he simply said: ‘Aahhhhh, nderimwe zimutsanga reku Mozambique (ahhhh, he is just another dissident from Mozambique.”

“I just kept my cool and continued looking for the vegetables.

“It was quite an encounter but that’s what this game is all about. Emotions run high sometimes.

“The point remains that CAPS United wanted to win, we also wanted to win. We were playing for our interests and they were playing for the championship.

“We really want to finish among the top four because, when you look at where we were when I arrived, that will be a step in the right direction and that’s why we are also going flat out to try and win our last match on Saturday (tomorrow).’’State media