Former Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Bongani Zungu revealed why he left the club as he begins his new journey with AmaZulu ahead of the two sides’ clash in the Betway Premiership at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Tuesday afternoon. Kick-off is at 3pm CAT (SA, GMT+2), live on SuperSport.
CURRENT FORM
Usuthu are still in an adjustment period at the moment however they’ve won two out of their last three league fixtures.
Their last match saw them win 2-1 against Royal AM in the KZN derby, and there’s positivity in the dressing room with their two new signings Bongani Zungu and Sandile Mthethwa.
Meanwhile, Mamelodi Sundowns have had a decent run of form in the league as they are now in first place, displacing Orlando Pirates who have a game in hand.
The Pretoria outfit also welcomed new coach Miguel Cardoso who is yet to lose since taking the job as he collected victories against Raja Casablanca and Stellenbosch.
WHAT WAS SAID
Bongani Zungu, who joined AmaZulu from Masandawana, opened up on the struggles that led to him leaving the club much sooner than expected.
"When I returned to Mamelodi Sundowns, I was so excited, I was happy. However, there were a lot of things that were happening. Mentally I was not happy, I could say a lot," Zungu said.
“I think the timing was not okay for me, I was not really happy with myself as a human being, [after] a lot had happened."
Ben 10's departure from the defending champions was a major shock, as he explained his decision to choose Usuthu over other teams that were also interested in him.
"I chose to come here because I was chasing happiness, I had to take a break to work on myself, to deal with my mental health," he explained.
"I think moving to AmaZulu will help me a lot – the president Sandile Zungu spoke to me and sold his philosophy, which made it easy for me to not take up other offers abroad and locally."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Hendrick Ekstein, AmaZulu - The creative midfielder is in fine form this season and has been heavily involved in Usuthu’s impressive turnaround. Having scored in the derby against Royal AM, Ekstein being on target in this one could give Sundowns a challenge.
Iqraam Rayners, Mamelodi Sundowns - The former Stellenbosch centre-forward is making an immediate impact with his new team and has scored two goals in their last two matches. Rayners will be a player AmaZulu will want to keep their eye on if they are looking to keep a clean sheet.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
LAST 10 LEAGUE RESULTS
Season Result Scorers
2019/20 Sundowns 1-0 AmaZulu Meza
2019/20 AmaZulu 0-3 Sundowns Vilakazi, Zwane 2 (1 pen)
2020/21 Sundowns 4-3 AmaZulu Zwane 3, Shalulile; Majoro, Memela, Khumalo
2020/21 AmaZulu 0-0 Sundowns
2021/22 Sundowns 1-0 AmaZulu Zwane (pen)
2021/22 AmaZulu 1-0 Sundowns Mulenga
2022/23 Sundowns 1-0 AmaZulu Allende
2022/23 AmaZulu 2-2 Sundowns Mphalele, Dion; Zungu, Shalulile
2023/24 AmaZulu 0-1 Sundowns Ribeiro (pen)
2023/24 Sundowns 3-0 AmaZulu Ribeiro 3