Arthur Zwane backs Ngwenya for Golden Boot after Sundowns brace

26.08.26 FT South African Betway Premiership

Mamelodi Sundowns FC

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AmaZulu FC

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AmaZulu FC head coach Arthur Zwane has backed striker Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya to finish the 2026/27 campaign as the leading top scorer in the Betway Premiership.

The 23-year-old centre-forward maintained his red-hot scoring form with a brace in the 5-2 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in a league clash at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Wednesday night.

He is currently leading the scoring charts in the league with five goals to his name, and has an overall tally of seven goals across all competitions, including the MTN8.

Zwane is adamant Ngwenya has the necessary weapons in his arsenal to clinch the coveted Golden Boot, stating the goal poacher could have easily hit double figures last season if he remained fit.

“There is no doubt about it [he can win the Golden Boot]. Even last season, if he did not get the injury, I think he was going to help us big time,” said the Usuthu boss.

"And unfortunately, he missed about two-and-a-half months of the season where we needed him the most. He was already on six goals and he also had a lot of 1v1s earlier on in the season, where he did not take those chances.

"I even said to him last season before he got injured that he could have easily been on 12 if not 14 goals already. It's good to see him scoring goals.

While the Zimbabwe international has been at the forefront of the AmaZulu attack in the opening stages of the current campaign, the 52-year-old mentor has urged the rest of the squad to step up in the final third.

“The only worrying factor is that it can't only be him that scores goals for us, others also need to take responsibility, we can't rely on him [alone] because should he get injured again, we're going to have a problem,” Zwane added.

"So, I'm just hoping that he'll be available for selection and you must have seen towards the end of the game he started cramping, and that was a worrying factor from our side.

"And sometimes you want to take him out but you look at who can give you goals, and we don't have another prolific striker like him at the moment. We do have others but they are still coming because they missed half of pre-season.

The KwaZulu-Natal outfit will swing back to action with a Betway Premiership tie against Richards Bay at Princess Magogo Stadium on Friday, 04 September, in what will be a KZN derby.

Hlayisani Magoro

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Football journalist from South Africa covering African football news, exclusive stories and key events while sharing insights with passionate fans of the game.

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