Arthur Zwane gets down to business after being tasked to oversee the resurgence of Kaizer Chiefs, who have endured a seven-year trophy drought. Kaizer Chiefs academy graduate Khotso Malope has spoken out to give out his thoughts on his former coach. FARPost guest writer Asemahle Cwayela looks at five takeaways from Malope’s reflections.
He made us understand the club’s culture
When Chiefs announced his signing, the club said that after 22 years of service, the man was as steeped in the traditions and culture of Chiefs as one can be.
Interestingly, the man nicknamed ‘10111’ has been vocal about a cultural reset at Naturena. Malope said one of the things Zwane drummed into them was making them embrace the club’s culture. “He made us understand the brand and the culture of donning the Kaizer Chiefs jersey,” Malope told FARPost.
He instilled a winning mentality
Zwane enjoyed an illustrious career with the club, scoring 32 goals in 252 appearances in all competitions. Between his arrival in 2000 and his retirement a decade later, he helped the Club win 12 major trophies, including the CAF Cup Winners Cup, two league titles, the MTN8, Coca Cola Cup, and Absa Cup, BP Top8 and the Telkom Knockout.
Malope added that the former Bafana Bafana star drilled a winning mentality into them. “One of the things he drilled into us was a winning mentality no matter what – whether on or off the field, he wanted us to win.”
He improved the players
The club’s sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jnr is on record as saying their new coach understands the club’s philosophy and possesses the blueprint on how to bring out quick, dynamic, youthful, attack-minded footballers. Malope also shared how Zwane impacted him as a player. “He was able to assist me with my confidence and taught me self-discipline. He was also able to make me realise my strength in the game.
He introduced the culture of hard work
“He shared with us a lot about being a professional at an earlier stage of our development years, so it was easy for us to adapt to the pressure when we were finally on the senior side. He also made us believe that only hard work can take us to the Promised Land, so he wanted players who would work hard every day,” added Malope.
He was a father figure
Besides being a coach and a club legend the youngsters looked up to, the 48-year-old was a father figure to many of the boys, some who came from outside Johannesburg. The Sebokeng-born midfielder explained. “He was a father figure more than just a coach.” He would lend the youngsters an ear at any given time.
