Cape Town City captain Thami Mkhize is determined to rectify the club’s recent MTN8 disappointments when they face Sekhukhune United at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday (15:00).

City have been eliminated in the quarterfinals for the past two seasons, by AmaZulu and Kaizer Chiefs respectively.

Their last significant impact in the competition came in the 2021/22 season, when they reached the final before losing to Mamelodi Sundowns on penalties at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

Mkhize won’t forget that day anytime soon, seeing his vital penalty saved by Denis Onyango which was enough to see Sundowns win the MTN8 for the first time since 2007. 

The City stalwart was aiming for his second MTN8 triumph, having previously lifted the trophy in 2018/19, also via a penalty shootout against SuperSport United under coach Benni McCarthy.

“I feel for me, as much as I have been with the club for a long time, but we haven’t rewarded ourselves properly,” said Mkhize. 

“So, for me, I think this is an opportunity to reward ourselves and reward the club. We are looking forward to play our first game against Sekhukhune United and I’m hoping that we are going to get positive result and proceed to the semifinal.”  

The other semifinal will be contested by Sundowns, who lost to Orlando Pirates on penalties last season, and Polokwane City at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday. The winners of these ties will join defending champions Pirates and Stellenbosch FC in the semifinals.