Harambee Stars Abroad: No Shumah, No Problem as ‘Little’ AmaZulu Keep Pace with South African Giants

Harambee Stars striker Moses Shumah may not still be ready to play for his new South African club AmaZulu FC but the Durban-based club are doing well even before his introduction.

Shumah joined the club in July from Zambian champions Power Dynamos but he is yet to feature in their first four games of the season.

Having started the campaign with a 4-3 loss to Sekhukhune United in the MTN8 quarter-final, AmaZulu have remained unbeaten in their opening three games of the Premier Soccer League (PSL).

Arthur Zwane’s side have won two and drawn one of their three games, leaving them on seven points, same as South African giants Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs who are only ahead of them on goal difference.

Their latest win was a 2-0 victory over Siwelele FC on Saturday, coming after they held champions Pirates to a 1-1 draw in midweek. In Shumah’s absence, Zimbabwean striker Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya is doing the job for AmaZulu.

Ngwenya has already scored five goals in four matches for the club, including the second against Siwelele, having set up the first one for Mlondi Mbanjwa.

It means Shumah’s work is cut out when he is declared ready to play as he will need to dislodge Ngwenya for a starting place unless Zwane finds a way to play the two strikers together.

Zwane already confirmed last Wednesday that the Kenyan striker is still behind schedule as he has not had enough pre-season but he will be delighted that the options he currently has are not making him miss Shumah.

“When he was joining us, we were already in our four weeks pre-season, with just two weeks remaining. He missed a whole month of preparations. Where Shumah comes from and where we are, we still need to work on him,” Zwane said after his team’s match with Pirates.

“The intensity and tempo of the PSL is at a different level. That’s why players who come here need time to adjust, they won’t just come, and when you look at our team, we play with energy. Shumah was playing in Kenya; look at the league in Kenya, then he moved to Zambia where he scored 21 goals.

“Then we decided to bring him to this side, and I look at the teams he played for, in terms of demand and experience. He has come to Zulu; we were number four, and this season we want to do better.”

AmaZulu have been punching above their weight and finished fourth in the PSL last season but have ambitions of going even higher and with Pirates, Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns considered the ‘Big Three’, their start to the season suggest they are ready to challenge the status quo.