Mamelodi Sundowns captain Themba Zwane has stated he is almost ready to return to action after two months on the sideline due to injury.
The midfielder ruptured his Achilles tendon towards the back end of the 2024/25 season but returned to action at the FIFA Club World Cup in June. He played in Sundowns’ opening two Betway Premiership fixtures of the 2025/26 campaign but was forced to sit out again and has not played since September.
The 36-year-old missed out on South Africa’s four final FIFA World Cup qualifiers, with Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos describing him as hard to replace.
Despite his injury struggles, Zwane stated he will be back to fully fit and ready for action in two weeks.
“At the moment I’m feeling good, you know, I don’t have a pain anymore, it’s just that now I’m just dealing with the strengthening so that I can come back stronger. But what I can say is two weeks from now, I will be 100 percent,” said Zwane, speaking to the media at the CAF Confederations Cup and Champions League draws in Randburg on Monday.
Having been forced to watch both club and country from the stands, Zwane described the recovery process as mentally tough.
“To be honest, it’s difficult, it’s difficult, especially that time when I told myself that I’m back to the game, but I got injured again. So it was really difficult, but obviously with the support of my teammates, the support of my family, they really played a big role, you know, and obviously for me mentally, I’m stronger,” he said.
“To see my teammates from the national team winning, you know, it always gives me motivation to say, ‘You know what, we’re on the right track,’ you know. I just have to bring myself together and try to work hard and go back to the national team and help the national team.
“[It’s] always good to see my team winning and pushing for Champions League, you know. I also want to be there also to help them, to help the team to do well in the club stages, you know,” said Zwane.
Despite not being in the squad, Zwane was in attendance in Mbombela to watch Bafana Bafana secure World Cup qualification with a 3-0 win over Rwanda. Having led the national team through its first four qualifiers, he believes it was important for him to be present in support of his teammates.
“I felt like it was very important for me to go there, you know, I know the guys, how they feel when they see me, you know, that’s the respect that we have amongst each other, that’s the brotherhood that we have amongst each other, you know. I was always happy to see the guys, how they play the game. It shows that they wanted to see the country happy, that’s why they pushed themselves,” he said.
Both Zwane and Broos will be hoping he will be back to his old self in time for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in December.
