Zwane Thanks President Zungu For Renewed Opportunity

AmaZulu coach Arthur Zwane has expressed gratitude to club president Sandile Zungu for extending his opportunity to lead Usuthu in the upcoming season.

Sportswire had previously reported that Zwane would continue as head coach, a decision now confirmed by Zungu during a kit apparel sponsorship event with Primo Sports a few weeks ago.

Zwane, a former Kaizer Chiefs academy head and distinguished player for the club, joined Usuthu as co-coach alongside Vusi Vilakazi in October, following the departure of Pablo Franco Martin.

At the time of their appointment, AmaZulu were at the bottom of the table, having lost all three of their opening matches. With Zwane and Vilakazi sharing media duties, Zwane confidently stated that Usuthu would avoid relegation by the end of the season.

True to his word, Zwane, who has been the sole head coach since Vilakazi left for personal reasons in February, has steered AmaZulu to sixth position in the Betway Premiership standings, accumulating 34 points from 27 matches.

There’s a strong possibility that Usuthu could secure a top-eight finish for the first time in two years, depending on other results this Saturday.

“When coach Kanu [Vusumuzi Vilakazi] and I took over, we had a long-term plan,” Zwane remarked. “Even though it was always going to be about the results, we obviously thank the president for the opportunity to stay longer and showcase our talent as coaches.

“We have had challenges here and there, but I would say we embraced the challenges given to us by the president. The fact that it is a project gives us enough time to implement our way of doing things and also, at the same time, we need the team together, not only us, because when you look at the talent, there are a lot of youngsters coming from the development.

“There are also quality players that have been here. Challenges are always there, like I said before, as you can see, the weather is not conducive for us to use the field.”

AmaZulu will conclude their challenging 2024/25 season at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday at 15:00. However, they face a tough task against Orlando Pirates, whom they haven’t defeated in Durban since 2009. Furthermore, Pirates have never lost to AmaZulu at Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Zwane further extended his appreciation, stating, “Once more, we thank the president [Sandile Zungu], the board, and many other people that played a huge role in making sure that we are comfortable in order for us to do our job properly.

“We have many people who played a huge role, and the players and their families, to make sure that these players come to training under different circumstances and perform to the best of their abilities. We have been praying for many other things to change for the better, and you must have seen the results having been going our way.

“We are one team that played more games earlier on, and by the look of things, people thought maybe if other teams win their remaining games, we are out of the top eight. But now it is in our hands to finish in a better position.”