Siwelele FC head coach Lehlohonolo Seema has given his honest assessment of the progress made by Kaizer Chiefs loanee Samkelo Zwane.
The talented midfielder joined Siwelele in the past transfer window as a deadline-day signing from Amakhosi. Zwane will spend the 2025/26 Betway Premiership season with the Bloemfontein-based side to get regular game-time.
Zwane struggled to break into the matchday squad in the previous season under the guidance of head coach Nasreddine Nabi. In the last campaign, Nabi preferred Sibongiseni Mthethwa, Thabo Cele, and Yusuf Maart to share the responsibility in the central-midfield position.
Maart has since left Chiefs in the off-season to join the Austrian side SV Ried. Meanwhile, the arrival of experienced midfielder Siphesihle Ndlovu has pushed Zwane further down the pecking order.
As the Chiefs’ youth product faced stiff competition for a place in the starting line-up, he was sent on loan alongside his teammate Happy Mashiane.
The 23-year-old has already featured in two matches as a second-half substitute in the Betway Premiership, and he was in the starting line-up when Siwelele suffered a 1-0 defeat against Orlando Pirates in the Carling Knockout Cup Last 16 this past weekend.
LEHLOHONOLO SEEMA SAYS ZWANE IS READY TO COMPETE
His coach, Seema, has admitted that Zwane has made good progress, hence he has been rewarded with playing minutes. “For me, starting him [against Pirates], it shows that he’s ready, and it’s not that he’s not there yet. Seema told the media.
“The challenge that we have with the players that we brought in is that they were not having enough game-time. So now, we are working on a lot of aspects, that’s why we’re going to introduce them here and there.
“We’re going to be a few seconds slower in terms of decision-making and in terms of fight, but we know Zwane’s capabilities. So credit must also go to our conditioning department; those guys are working very hard.”
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