Zwane's rising star poised to shine on

It was not only Clive Barker who lavished praise on the talent shown by Themba Zwane.

Mamelodi Sundowns veteran Surprise Moriri was also doing his bit, even though it was not in the glare of the public eye.

Barker and Moriri, rather unknowingly, left Sundowns no choice but to bring Zwane back from his loan spell with Mpumalanga Black Aces to form an integral part of the Brazilians' 2014-15 squad.

Zwane admits he might have been lost to another team if Moriri had not taken such a keen interest in his progress.

"It was easy to go back to Sundowns as I never felt like they forgot about me because of Surprise's efforts to check up on me. He was always calling me and asking about my performance and telling me where to improve," he said of his return to Chloorkop.

"Mshishi", a nickname Zwane earned for his nutmegs on boyhood friends in Tembisa on the East Rand, took up a starring role at Mpumalanga Black Aces last season, helping a hastily assembled, but competent, side finish seventh on the Absa Premiership table.

Barker lavishly said he was as good as former Bafana greats Doctor Khumalo and John "Shoes" Moshoeu.

Zwane credits both Barker and Moriri for his growth, which has led to two Bafana caps in a team on the verge of qualifying for next year's Africa Cup of Nations, with two matches, against Sudan and Nigeria in Group A, remaining.

"Clive is a top coach - a motivator, a father figure and everything else you can think of. Clive compared me to a lot of people I thought I was not in the same league with just yet. He built up my confidence by doing that, but he also put pressure, which I had to learn how to handle," said Zwane.

"Surprise came to me after my first training session and told me that I am a good player and encouraged me to put in a little bit extra to make it in the PSL. There's a lot of competition in the team and in the league, and he stressed that I needed to double my efforts to compete," he said.

The 34-year-old Moriri may see Zwane, who is nine years younger, as his long-term replacement at Sundowns.

Moriri is a former Bafana player who was part of the 2008 Nations Cup and 2010 World Cup teams. Zwane is hoping to get to next year's continental showpiece and the 2018 world spectacle with Ephraim "Shakes" Mashaba's young national side.

"The Bafana stage is big, but I didn't have immediate pressure when I joined the national team. I found players such as Reneilwe Letsholonyane there when I went on my first tour to Australia and New Zealand [in May] and they told me to relax and play my normal game," said Zwane.

"That is exactly what I have done. I took the positives from my loan spell at Aces and worked hard to make sure I hardly had a bad game."