Kaizer Chiefs’ new signing revealed as club embarks on rebuilding

While Stellenbosch FC have said that one of their key players Zitha Kwinika has signed for Kaizer Chiefs, Amakhosi interim coach Arthur Zwane has refused to confirm the new capture.

Chiefs are expected to go big in the market in the 2022-23 preseason as they aim to bring back the glory days and end a trophy drought that will reach seven years when they end their 2021-22 DStv Premiership  campaign with their final match against Swallows FC at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

Reports in various publications are that Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker revealed at the club’s end-of-season awards in the Cape that hard-tackling centreback Kwinika has signed a deal that sees him return to Chiefs.

Kwinika played for Chiefs' reserves in 2014 then had some senior loan spells from the club before a transfer to Chippa United in 2015.  

Zwane, however, said he would rather wait for Chiefs' management to confirm if the player has been signed.

“To be quite honest, I will leave that to the management as you know we are about to sit down with the whole technical staff and talk about what's going to happen. I think next week we will have that meeting. As to who is coming in and who is going, I don’t know,” Zwane said.

Kwinika, 28, was still known as Zitha Macheke when he cut his teeth at Chippa, Thanda Royal Zulu and Bidvest Wits before his move to Stellenbosch, where he has realised his potential.

At the Stellenbosch awards, Kwinika won Players’ Player of the Season and Player of the Season.

Another to have agreed who joined Chiefs on a precontract in January was AmaZulu’s Siyethemba Sithebe, while SuperSport United’s Sipho Mbule is also said to be on the wish list of the Naturena club.