Zwane Proud As Usuthu Break Into League Top Three
AmaZulu coach Arthur Zwane has revealed that no one gave his side a chance of lying in third place on the Betway Premiership table — even if their stay there might be brief.
Usuthu moved up the standings after beating Golden Arrows 1-0 at King Zwelithini Stadium on Tuesday, thanks to a thunderous strike from Riaan Hanamub.
AmaZulu now sit in third place with 24 points from 14 matches, but they could be overtaken by fourth-placed Sekhukhune United or fifth-placed Kaizer Chiefs if those sides win their matches against Chippa United and Magesi respectively on Wednesday.
“You can see I’m smiling, even though it might only be for 24 hours,” Zwane said.
“The top-three position is something we’ve been chasing. To be honest, we needed to break the ice at some point because this was our eighth attempt.”
Zwane highlighted that his squad is largely made up of young players such as Athini Maqokolo, Olwethu Mzimela, Liam Bern, Siyanda Hlabangeza, Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya and Tebogo Mashigo, which naturally comes with challenges and mistakes.
“But we are a work in progress. We have youngsters, and you can see some of the mistakes they commit,” he said.
“They still have a lot to learn. Football is a great teacher, and the only way they will learn is by being given opportunities to play — that’s how they grow in stature.
“I think the goal we scored deserved a top-three position. It was a scorcher, and it deserved to earn us the three points.”
The victory over Arrows was only AmaZulu’s second away win of the season, having also beaten Chippa United. In eight away matches, they have won two, lost three and drawn three — making them the fifth-best away team this season.
“I’ll be honest — I don’t think a single one of you would have predicted AmaZulu would be in this position when you look at the squad,” Zwane added.
“The balance of the squad, the youngsters coming in… we had to grind, we had to come up with another plan, and we had to hope for the best.
“Our target was to win our home games, and when you go away, you try to get a point. That’s how you build a team — that’s how you develop mental strength and a winning mentality.
“You must first win at home before thinking of collecting points away. I think we’ve done well at home, even though we lost a game we shouldn’t have against Polokwane City.
“When you compare that match to this one, this was the easiest game for us to win. It was important for us to get our second away win, and hopefully we can pick up more points on the road.”
AmaZulu will return to league action against TS Galaxy at Princess Magogo Stadium on 25 January 2026, following the Africa Cup of Nations break.
