Themba Zwane, the indescribable shoe-shine and piano conductor

When it comes to describing Themba ‘Mshishi’ Zwane, a lot of people have run out of superlatives to reference his brilliance as he has been the mainstay in Mamelodi Sundowns’ attack.

This season, Zwane has been given the task of leading the team as captain, and if you did not know that ‘Mshishi’ is 33 years old, you could easily confuse him for a 25-year-old, given his consistency and contribution towards Masandawana’s success.

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Zwane is known to be a very shy person, which is why you will only find just a handful of his interviews — he hardly says much and lets his feet do the talking.

His coach, Rulani Mokwena also struggles when he has to describe Zwane’s talent, instead, he gloats about the “good” human being that Zwane is.

During Pitso Mosimane’s time as Sundowns coach, he would say players like former Downs captain, Hlompho Kekana and Tiyani Mabunda would be the ones who hold the piano, while Zwane and Gaston Sirino would play the piano.

Fast forward a number of years, Zwane is still the choir master and conductor of Sundowns’ shoe-shine-and-piano brand of football. He just hits the right notes.

“You need a dictionary when you want to describe him. But behind the footballer, there is an incredible human being. He amazes me and the modern day leader is an influencer, and that is ‘Mshishi’. When he walks in, he grabs peoples’ attention. He has this thing about him. He does not demand respect from people but he gives respect to people,” says Mokwena.

A good human being

“He is good to people and in return, people are good to him and I think he deserves to be captain of Sundowns.

“Other players are learning from him and they are developing good human qualities and serving the club. It is never about individuals but a collective effort and Themba happens to be part of a very good group of honest football players,” Mokwena added.

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos will be hoping that ‘Mshishi”;can translate his Sundowns form into the national team when they face Liberia on Friday in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at Orlando Stadium. Zwane has also been nominated for the People’s Choice Award in the South African Sports Awards. Click here to see the full list of nominees.