‘We want to make people happy’
Such is the nature of Arthur Zwane’s body language as a coach that he might not arouse thrills in the way he conducts himself, which is why he is doubted by some.
He doesn’t have the ‘pitbull’ character of Benni McCarthy nor the eloquence of Steve Komphela.
But what is hidden behind that appearance of a reserved human being is a streetwise philosopher with a personality as rich in humour as it is in wisdom.
Zwane knows all the tricks of the trade in this game having been born in Meadowlands, Soweto, where he chiselled his craft as a footballer in the amateur ranks and had to wait until past his mid-20s for his career to blossom in the topflight.
A stint with Tembisa Classic just before the turn of the millennium after a career that had taken him to half a dozen clubs provided the lift that his career needed in eventually winning a move to Kaizer Chiefs and ultimately going on to earn 10 Bafana Bafana caps.
“WHEN I ARRIVED HERE 22 YEARS AGO THIS TEAM TAUGHT ME A LOT OF THINGS ABOUT RESPECT AND HUMILITY.”
He has now been at Chiefs for the past 22 years – a decade of which was spent as a player, then with a dozen serving as a coach at all levels of the club’s structures.
“I was born for this,” he highlights in his typical soft tone.
Such is Zwane’s nature that he is frequently calm, arrogant on occasion, demanding as always and unrepentant about his beliefs in
