Harare — Claudius Zviripayi is a retired Zimbabwean striker best remembered for his time with Dynamos Football Club and the Zimbabwe national team, now known as the Warriors.
Zviripayi spent the better part of his career at Dynamos, where he was part of the famous squad that reached the 1998 CAF Champions League final, playing alongside the likes of Gift Muzadzi, Memory Mucherahowa, Callisto Pasuwa and Ian Gorowa. He also had a short stint with Kaizer Chiefs in South Africa during the early 1990s, before returning to Dynamos and later turning out for Arcadia United.
On the international stage, Zviripayi represented Zimbabwe throughout the 1990s, making 14 appearances and scoring three goals in FIFA-recognised matches. He featured in World Cup qualifiers and Africa Cup of Nations campaigns, playing a key role as one of the Warriors’ reliable forwards.
Off the pitch, Zviripayi’s career was marked by controversy when he, along with several teammates, was transfer-listed by Dynamos in 1999 after breaching team discipline before a major match. While some apologised and were reinstated, Zviripayi stood his ground and was loaned out to Arcadia.
Family & Trivia
Zviripayi is the elder brother of Warriors legend Vitalis “Digital” Takawira.
For years, confusion surrounded the brothers’ different surnames. Their younger sibling, Vincent Takawira, clarified in 2022 that a clerical error at the Registrar General’s office mistakenly recorded Claudius under their father’s middle name “Zviripayi” instead of the family surname Takawira.
Personal Note
Sadly, reports indicate that he suffered a recent family tragedy in August 2025, when his daughter died in a car accident near Nyanga.