Zwane’s First Words As Chiefs Coach

May 27, 2022

Kaizer Chiefs new coach Arthur Zwane says he has been working hard behind the scenes preparing to become a head coach of Amakhosi and is looking to be a successful coach.

Zwane led the club on an interim basis before the arrival of Gavin Hunt, he also took over before the arrival of Stuart Baxter and most recently he led the Glamour Boys in the remainder of the season after the Scottish coach was shown the exit door.

“I have always been saying to those close to me… I told them eight years back that I’m working hard and spending sleepless nights to be a head coach that will be out to make the team win and not just to add numbers,” says Zwane.

“One of the reasons I wanted to play for this team as a player was because of the winning culture and mentality. That is what inspired me and made me work hard to wear this jersey as a player. That was a dream come true.

“Here I am today. There are people seated here who know that I told them that one day I will be the head coach. I knew that there will be challenges. Every setback was a wake-up call and here I am today,” he says.

“These are the things that as individuals we dream about. If there is one person that made me believe in myself from day one, it is the chairman because when I decided to quit playing due to taking too long to recover fully, I went to see him at the advice of the football manager.

“When he granted me the permission to stop playing, I told him I’m a coach, and a long meeting with the football manager who I told I want to be on the field as a coach.

“Coach VV played a role in making me his second assistant, but I had already started preparing myself because I had my own team that was campaigning in the Vodacom League (ABC Motsepe League), the status of which I then had to sell to focus on my career.

“After two seasons in the first team I was redeployed to the Under-17 to learn and if I have what it takes, I would be back in the first team.

“I embraced it and saw it as an opportunity of a lifetime and so I went through the ranks and I was lucky that most of the players that I started with came up with me,” details Zwane adding on about his relationship with assistant Dillon Sheppard.

“I’m lucky to have someone like coach Sheppy who I did my UEFA coaching license with, in Ireland. I have always believed that this club deserves to have quality people with knowledge of the game.

“I trust this gentleman with my whole heart, and I can sleep the whole day with no worries. That is how much I trust him. We are on the right track. Football is about sharing, and we have been sharing ever since.

“With the support of management, I don’t see us getting this project wrong. It might take some time, but we know we are on the right track. We know that a lot is expected of us, but we will give it our best,” says Zwane.