Bafana’s Zwane targets ‘perfect start’ to the year at Afcon

The Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast is potentially Themba Zwane’s last opportunity to play for Bafana Bafana at a major tournament.

The 34-year-old has had a career that most footballers can only dream of, winning every PSL trophy on offer. His impressive list of accolades also includes the Caf Champions League and Caf Super Cup.

2023 turned out to be another memorable year for the evergreen midfielder, who led Mamelodi Sundowns to the inaugural African Football League title.

Against all odds, Zwane also forced his way back into the Bafana squad under Hugo Broos, who had written him off when he first took over the post.

The Sundowns captain is expected to play a major role for South Africa at the Cup of Nations in West Africa. He’s targeting more silverware in 2024 in what could possibly his last chance to get his hands on the coveted AFCON trophy.

‘I can’t wait’

“Doing well at AFCON will be a perfect way to start the year, and I can’t wait for the tournament to begin,” Zwane told the Sundowns digital team.

“For Mamelodi Sundowns, we are dreaming big to achieve greatness. We would love to win the seventh consecutive league title.

“The CAF Champions League is also on our agenda and we hope to participate in the Club World Cup.”

Overall, this will be Zwane’s third AFCON appearance. He was part of the 2019 squad that eventually lost to Nigeria in the quarterfinals after shocking hosts Egypt and Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah in the last 16 .

His first taste of the biggest football spectacle on the African continent came at the 2015 edition in Equatorial Guinea, where Bafana finished bottom of their group.

The creative attacker sat out Bafana’s goalless draw in what was a training match against Lesotho on Wednesday as a precautionary measure after suffering a knock in a practice session while in camp.

He is, however, expected to be ready for Bafana’s Group E opener against Mali next week Tuesday.