Zuke Closing On Sekhukhune Move After Passing Medicals
Sportswire has been informed that Thabani Zuke is closing in on a move to Sekhukhune United, where he is set to reunite with his former coach, Papi Zothwane.
The 28-year-old was released by Richards Bay at the end of last season following the termination of his contract. However, in a surprising turn of events, the player has yet to receive his clearance certificate from the club, delaying the official signing.
Zuke, who passed his medical at Sekhukhune, has impressed the club’s technical team during an assessment period.
After joining the “Natal Rich Boyz” at the start of last season from Golden Arrows, Zuke made 23 appearances across all competitions, operating as both a centre-back and a midfielder.
At Richards Bay, he was coached by Zothwane—who served as co-coach alongside Ronnie Gabriel and Siboniso Gumede—before the former Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder departed at the end of the campaign.
Zothwane also worked extensively with Zuke at Golden Arrows in various capacities, including as an assistant coach in the senior team and in the DStv Diski Challenge.
Zuke assumed the captaincy at Arrows during the 2022/23 season following Nkosinathi Sibisi’s transfer to Orlando Pirates. However, his campaign was cut short after featuring in just 10 league matches due to a severe ACL injury.
His strong performances previously earned him a call-up to Hugo Broos’ Bafana Bafana setup during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, where he featured in back-to-back matches against Ethiopia in October 2021.
At Sekhukhune, Zothwane recently stepped into the head coaching role following the sacking of Cedric Kaze, with Paulus Masehe serving as his assistant.
He was handed the head coach role after Kaze was dismissed following a 4-0 aggregate defeat to Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 semi-finals.
Zothwane’s tenure began with a goalless draw against TS Galaxy at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium last weekend.
Babina Noko will be back in action when they visit Stellenbosch at Athlone Stadium on Friday.
