Zungu's return will strengthen Downs midfield – Mokwena

Co-coach praises his team for beating Chiefs

15 August 2022 - 07:11
By Neville Khoza
  Mamelodi Sundowns Chairman Tlhopie Motsepe unveil Bongani Zungu as new signing during the DStv Premiership match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on August 13, 2022 in Pretoria, South Africa.
Image: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images Mamelodi Sundowns Chairman Tlhopie Motsepe unveil Bongani Zungu as new signing during the DStv Premiership match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on August 13, 2022 in Pretoria, South Africa.

Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rulani Mokwena is excited about the return of Bongani Zungu to the club and feels his arrival will make the competition in the midfield even stronger.

Zungu, who returned to Sundowns for the second time, was announced stylishly at a sold-out match between Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday.

The 29-year-old has been without a club since he parted ways with French side Amiens SC in July.

“I want to congratulate the club and the management for a lot of hard work done behind the scenes,” Mokwena told the media after they thumped Chiefs 4-0 on Saturday.

“It was a complicated deal and it took very long; [there were] lots of issues. And I also want to thank Bongani for his patience and trust because he had other offers.

“Bongani chose to come to us and he was very patient. [He] even [had] more lucrative [offers] than what we threw [at him]. But sometimes it helps when there are good relations between coaches and players because the desire to come and work with the coach and be part of the set-up helps.”

The talented midfielder, who left SA in 2016 after a successful spell with Sundowns to go play in Portugal for Vitoria de Guimaraes, was also linked with a move to Chiefs during the ongoing transfer window.

“I want to thank Bongani for his patience and his family for the support that they gave him in trying to make sure that he chooses us instead of other options that they had,” Mokwena said.

“And we are just excited that the club has made that decision to support bringing Bongs here and we are looking forward to him coming into the team and competing for a position which is going to be very difficult.

“We got very good players in Bongani Zungu’s position and he is also a very good player that makes the competition even stronger.”

Meanwhile, Mokwena also praised his players after their victory against Amakhosi on Saturday as they responded to last week's shock 1-0 defeat to TS Galaxy in style.

“We started very well against Chiefs. The first 25 minutes were a reflection of the work that we did on the training pitch and the work that the analysts did behind the scenes,” he said. “I would like to congratulate the players and everyone on the team for the job well done.”

Other results: Maritzburg 0-0 Swallows; Gallants 1-1 Arrows; Stellenbosch 3-1 Royal; Richards Bay 1-0 Sekhukhune; AmaZulu 2-1 Cape Town City.