Sandile Zungu’s local approach lifts AmaZulu as Bay and City face tests

Sandile Zungu is an ambitious club president, which is why his decision to return to “local favour” could once again prove to be “lekker” this season.

When Zungu took over AmaZulu a few seasons ago, he declared his ambition to turn the club into a top-four side in the PSL.

To date, Zungu’s dream has only been realised once — when Benni McCarthy incredibly led the team to a runners-up finish in the league in 2021, 89 years after the club was established.

McCarthy’s run with his troops was expected to be the turning point from which Usuthu would build and establish themselves as one of the most formidable sides in the local top flight. But that, it turned out, was wishful thinking.

After sacking McCarthy, Usuthu endured a drastic decline. The revolving door of European coaches, including Romain Folz and Pablo Franco, proved catastrophic rather than influential.

Zungu changed his approach about 21 months ago, returning to ‘local favour’ by appointing Arthur Zwane and Vusumuzi Vilakazi as co-coaches. Young, ambitious, and eager to redeem themselves after previous disappointing stints, the duo slowly but surely brought Usuthu back to life.

Vilakazi’s spell at the club was cut short in the second half of the season, leaving Zwane as the sole head coach. “10111” grabbed the bull by the horns, guiding his side to a top-eight finish — a first for Usuthu in some time, and notable given that Kaizer Chiefs, who had demoted him from the senior team back to the reserves after his failed stint, failed to qualify for the same phase in back-to-back seasons.

Enter the new season, and Usuthu have grown in leaps and bounds. Zungu’s decision to be more hands-on and dismantle the old-age structure in favour of a younger setup — one Zwane thrived under during his time with Chiefs’ reserve team — paid dividends in the first half of the campaign.

AmaZulu finished the first half of the season fifth on the log, level on 24 points with Chiefs. This was driven by a relatively young squad playing eye-catching football, while also making full use of their home-ground advantage..

Zwane knows the second half of the season will be taxing, which is why his young players must now mature into men. Having bolstered the squad with signings such as 23-year-old Luyolo Slatsha from Cape Town City and Brazilian-born Gustavo Lopes, 25, who joined as a free agent, Usuthu will be expected to rise to the occasion.

Usuthu’s character will be tested in the New Year when they host TS Galaxy at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday (3:30 pm kick-off). A positive start to the year could go a long way in keeping Zungu’s top-four dream alive.

While Usuthu’s project has started well and appears stable, the same cannot be said for rivals Durban City.

Returning to top-flight football for the first time this season after a lengthy spell in the lower divisions, City started like a house on fire. They played constructive football under legendary coach Gavin Hunt, picking up results.

However, an internal dispute between Hunt and the club hierarchy led to his departure, with the veteran coach resurfacing at Stellenbosch.

Hunt’s exit saw his former assistant, Simo Dladla, claim three points in the final game of the year. But if City are to avoid being dragged into the relegation zone during the business end of the season, chairman Farook Kadodia will know that a solid structure — built on a calm and healthy dressing room — is essential.

The team will need to show what they have worked on during the break by grinding out a result at home, Chatsworth Stadium, against Polokwane City on Sunday night (6 pm kick-off) in the opening match of the second half of the season.

Meanwhile, when Richards Bay’s chairman Jomo Biyela boldly declared in an extravagant press conference a few months ago that the club would soon match the standards of the “big three”, following a reported R100 million investment from oil company Phakwe Gas, it now appears he may have been barking up the wrong tree.

The Natal Rich Boyz have remained an average outfit, showing little sign of a clear growth trajectory. That is why co-coaches Ronnie Gabriel and Papi Zothwane must start the year strongly by beating Siwelele at Richards Bay Stadium on Friday (7:30 pm kick-off) to lay a solid foundation for the months ahead.