Zitha Kwinika: The Backbone of a Resurgent Kaizer Chiefs
Zitha Kwinika has quietly become the constant in a Kaizer Chiefs team trying to reinvent itself.
Five games into his fifth season back at Naturena, the 32-year-old has not missed a single minute, anchoring the defence alongside new partner Inacio Miguel. The minutes tell one story. His tone tells another: this is not the same Chiefs that limped through last season.
“I think we have proven in the games we have played that we are a different team compared to last season,” he said, speaking to KickOff. “The style of play, and the structure show there's improvement.”
You can hear the buy-in. New coaches, new ideas, and a squad that, according to one of its senior voices, is finally starting to enjoy the way it plays.
“There are new tactics that are being placed and we are trying to get to a certain way of playing that we enjoy. We are getting better as a team.”
Smaller teams, big problem
For all the tactical tweaks and positive noise, one issue has stalked Chiefs for years: dropping points against so‑called smaller clubs. Title ambitions have repeatedly been shredded not in derbies or blockbusters, but on quieter afternoons against sides they are expected to beat.
Kwinika knows it. He has lived it. And he sounds determined to put an end to it.
On Wednesday, Amakhosi travel to Princess Magogo Stadium to face Richards Bay, a fixture that in previous seasons might have been treated as routine. Not anymore.
The defender says these games now carry the same emotional charge as the Soweto Derby.
“Obviously, Richards Bay is a difficult team to play against, yes, we give them the respect, but we also have our objectives, so we know what we expect and we have prepared well for them.
This season, we are in a different mission of saying the games that we need to collect points from are such games. We must win these games.”
No dressing it up. No talk of ‘tricky opponents’ as a safety net. Just a clear message: if Chiefs are serious about ending their league drought, fixtures like Richards Bay cannot be allowed to slip.
Momentum or nothing
Consistency has become the buzzword around Da Cruz’s side. Not the romantic kind, but the ruthless version that turns decent runs into genuine title challenges.
For Kwinika, it boils down to something very simple: win, then win again.
“Obviously, to keep the momentum is for us to get positive results,” he said. “I think that is the best way to keep the momentum, getting good results, mainly winning games, that’s the only way to keep the momentum going in the environment and the confidence.
“So, I think getting used to winning is important because it just creates an environment of winners and winners get stronger by day.”
It is a mentality Chiefs have spoken about often in recent years. The difference now will be whether they can attach it to a sustained run of victories, rather than isolated bursts of form that fade under pressure.
New faces, new energy
The shift at Chiefs is not only tactical. It is generational.
Kwinika has watched young talents and recent arrivals step into the spotlight, and he believes their emergence is another sign that the club is finally moving with purpose.
“The new players are gelling well,” he said, pointing to the impact of Langelihle Phili and Luke Baartman. Both have been around the first team, but now they are starting games – and making those chances count.
Phili has already found the net, Baartman has earned his place in the XI, and their presence has injected fresh competition into the squad.
“That shows we are in the right direction, and most players are understanding what’s required from them.”
For Chiefs, the message from their defensive mainstay is clear. The structure is improving. The kids are stepping up. The objectives are sharper.
Now comes the hard part: turning all of that into three points in the kind of fixture that has so often undone them.
Richards Bay away is not a title decider on paper. For a club chasing the Betway Premiership, it might feel like one.
