AmaZulu boss Zwane targets end to trophy drought as new PSL season kicks off

AmaZulu head coach Arthur Zwane says it is “high time” the club turns consistent league form into major silverware as they prepare to open the new Betway Premiership campaign.

Zwane, speaking at the Premier Soccer League season launch in Johannesburg on Wednesday, said he believes AmaZulu are ready to take the final step after narrowly missing out on CAF competition last term.

AmaZulu finished fourth in the league after a steady 30-game campaign, but were unable to overhaul Kaizer Chiefs in the battle for continental qualification. For Zwane, that near-miss has sharpened the focus on winning a trophy rather than merely competing near the top.

“If you want people to support you and follow you, you’ve got to start winning. And silverware, you know, is one of the things that are very important for every club in the PSL,” Zwane said.

“The fact that AmaZulu have always been there, it’s high time that they start winning cups. It’s high time that we start competing with the best. So we are just hoping for the best and I think something will happen this season.

“I just don’t know which cup we will lift. But we’re going to do something,” he added.

Trophy ambitions and growing the fanbase

Zwane made it clear that adding a first major trophy of his tenure is about more than satisfying internal ambition; it is also central to growing and retaining the club’s support.

The coach believes that while AmaZulu have long been a fixture in South African football, they now need tangible success to convert their potential into a stronger fan base not just in KwaZulu-Natal but nationally.

Usuthu have already picked up early-season momentum by winning the Premier’s Cup for the second year running, reinforcing their status in their home province. However, both Zwane and CEO Sandile Zungu are focused on extending that influence beyond KwaZulu-Natal and building a broader national profile.

To support that push, AmaZulu have brought in Bafana Bafana strategist Sinesipho Mali to help align the club’s football vision with its resources and long-term goals.

“It’s quite important to have someone of his calibre. He’s very experienced and will add so much value to the club,” Zwane said of Mali’s appointment.

Tough opener against Stellenbosch

AmaZulu begin their league campaign on Saturday against Stellenbosch FC at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Clermont (kick-off 15:00), an away match in a venue that is nonetheless familiar territory for the KZN side.

Their recent record against Stellies, though, underlines the size of the challenge. In the last five meetings between the teams, AmaZulu have managed just one victory – a 2-1 league win last year.

A season earlier, Zwane’s side were on the wrong end of a heavy 5-0 defeat to Stellenbosch, a result that highlighted the gap they still needed to close to consistently challenge the league’s stronger outfits.

Zwane now believes his squad is better prepared and more settled, with a clearer playing identity and structure that the players have embraced, and he is determined to avoid a repeat of that bruising scoreline.

MTN8 on the horizon

Following their league opener, AmaZulu will quickly switch focus to knockout competition, with preparations beginning for the MTN8.

Usuthu are scheduled to face Sekhukhune United in the quarter-finals at some point next weekend, giving Zwane an early opportunity to back up his public declaration that a trophy is within reach this season.

For a club that has been “always there”, as Zwane puts it, the coming weeks will begin to show whether AmaZulu can finally turn promise and consistency into the silverware he insists is overdue.