TZ
Mshishi location_on Mamelodi Sundowns

THEMBA
ZWANE

Attacking Midfielder #10 South African flag Bafana Bafana
forum

Age

36 yrs

Height

1.68m

Value

€1.5m

Caps / Goals

38 / 8

Profile

Who is Themba

Themba 'Mshishi' Zwane is the creative conscience of modern South African football — one-club man at Mamelodi Sundowns for 15 years, eight-time PSL champion, CAF Champions League winner, and the 2023 CAF African Player of the Year (Africa-based). The Kagiso-born left-footer is the rarest thing in modern football: a senior international who stayed home, won everything there is to win on the continent, and became Bafana Bafana's on-pitch brain into his mid-30s.

Tactical DNA

Zwane is a left-footed No. 10 who plays right-of-centre — a throwback to the Brazilian-school attacking midfielder Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has built the attack around. His game is built on short combinations, body feints and the rarest thing in African top-flight football: a reliably weighted through-ball. 'Mshishi' processes pictures faster than the defenders marking him, which is why he has survived at the top level into his mid-30s without relying on pace.

For Bafana Bafana under Hugo Broos he operates deeper — a left-8 in a 4-3-3 rather than a pure 10 — using his first-touch security to help South Africa dominate possession against continental opponents. The 2023 AFCON bronze medal run was built on his ability to recycle and re-shape attacks; his heat-map in the semi-final vs Nigeria is still being taught in South African coaching courses.

Career Journey

history
Mbombela United (South Africa)
42 apps 8 goals

Semi-pro start in Mpumalanga. Spotted by Sundowns scouts during a National First Division match; signed on a free transfer at 22 — late even by South African standards.

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Mamelodi Sundowns — early years
64 apps 11 goals 14 assists

Rotation player through his mid-20s. Broke into the starting XI under Pitso Mosimane in 2014–15 and never left it again — the quietest rise of any future PSL icon.

sports_soccer
Mamelodi Sundowns — CAF glory
106 apps 24 goals 31 assists

Central creator of the Sundowns side that won the 2016 CAF Champions League — the first South African club to win it in 21 years — and then the 2017 CAF Super Cup. Scored in the Champions League final first leg against Zamalek.

sports_soccer
Mamelodi Sundowns — dynasty
128 apps 33 goals 48 assists

Four consecutive PSL titles. Averaged double-digit league assists in three of four seasons. Two-time PSL Footballer of the Season. Built the identity of the most dominant era of any club in South African football history.

sports_soccer
Mamelodi Sundowns — veteran
96 apps 17 goals 34 assists

Captained Sundowns through further PSL titles and deep CAF Champions League runs. Bafana leadership role in the 2023 AFCON bronze-medal campaign. Named 2023 CAF African Player of the Year (Africa-based).

Current Season Stats

Live Data
Apps
24
PSL 2025–26
Goals
5
Assists
11
xA
9.4
Minutes
1,950
G+A / 90
0.74

military_techHonours

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CAF African Player of the Year (Africa-based)

2023

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CAF Champions League Winner

Mamelodi Sundowns — 2016

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CAF Super Cup Winner

Mamelodi Sundowns — 2017

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PSL Champion

8× with Mamelodi Sundowns (2013–14 through 2023–24)

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PSL Footballer of the Season

2019–20, 2021–22

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Nedbank Cup Winner

3× with Mamelodi Sundowns

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AFCON Bronze Medal

South Africa — 2023

flagWith Bafana Bafana

38
Caps
8
Goals
2013
Debut
AFCON 2019 AFCON 2023 (bronze) WCQ 2026
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Beyond the Pitch

Born 9 August 1989 in Kagiso, a township west of Johannesburg that has produced multiple Bafana internationals. Nicknamed 'Mshishi' from his early Sundowns days — a street-football honorific that stuck with him through eight PSL titles. Started senior football unusually late for a top-level attacker: his first professional contract came at 22, after Mbombela United.

One of the most private senior players in South African football — keeps a low off-pitch profile, rarely gives solo feature interviews, and has asked PSL broadcasters to direct attention to younger teammates even in title-winning seasons. Married with three children; family keeps an almost total distance from South African football media.

Runs a small community football programme in Kagiso that has funded boot drives and tournament entries for township youth teams since 2018. In 2024 he opened the Zwane Futbol Centre — an indoor training facility in western Johannesburg used by PSL youth sides and school teams.

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Expert Analysis

Naledi Mokoena

Naledi Mokoena

Senior Writer

27 posts on Themba.

 Sibusiso Dube

Sibusiso Dube

Junior Writer

8 posts on Themba.

Themba Q&A

How old is Themba Zwane? expand_more
Themba 'Mshishi' Zwane was born on 9 August 1989 in Kagiso, South Africa, which makes him 36 years old as of April 2026 — and still a starter for both Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana.
Which club does Themba Zwane play for? expand_more
Zwane plays for Mamelodi Sundowns in South Africa's Premier Soccer League (PSL). He joined Sundowns in 2011 and has never played for another club since — a 15-year one-club man, a rarity in modern football.
Why is Themba Zwane called Mshishi? expand_more
'Mshishi' is a street-football nickname from Zwane's early Sundowns years in the Johannesburg townships. The word roughly translates as 'hair' / 'mop-top' in Zulu slang and was originally a reference to his youth hairstyle; the nickname has stuck ever since.
How many PSL titles has Themba Zwane won? expand_more
Zwane has won 8 PSL titles with Mamelodi Sundowns, spanning from 2013–14 to 2023–24. He is one of three players (alongside Andile Jali and Hlompho Kekana) to have played in Sundowns' entire title-dynasty era.
Did Themba Zwane win the African Player of the Year? expand_more
Yes — Zwane won the 2023 CAF African Player of the Year (Africa-based) award at the CAF Awards ceremony in Marrakech, recognising both his PSL and CAF Champions League performances for Sundowns and his AFCON 2023 bronze-medal run with Bafana Bafana.
How tall is Themba Zwane? expand_more
Zwane is 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) — short even by attacking-midfielder standards. His low centre of gravity and quick half-turns are why coaches from Pitso Mosimane onwards have built creative structures around him instead of around taller, more conventional No. 10s.
What is Themba Zwane's net worth? expand_more
Public estimates of Zwane's net worth in 2026 sit around US $3–5 million, built almost entirely on 15 years of Sundowns salaries plus endorsement deals with South African retail and telecoms brands. No European or Gulf transfer ever happened, so the numbers are modest by African-star standards.
Has Themba Zwane played in the World Cup? expand_more
No — South Africa have not qualified for a World Cup during Zwane's Bafana Bafana career. His showpiece has been AFCON, where he helped Bafana to the 2023 bronze medal in Côte d'Ivoire. The 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign is the nearest Bafana have come to qualifying since 2010.
Did Themba Zwane win the CAF Champions League? expand_more
Yes — Zwane was a key creator in the Mamelodi Sundowns side that won the 2016 CAF Champions League, the first South African club to lift the trophy since Orlando Pirates in 1995. He also scored in the two-legged final against Egypt's Zamalek.
Is Themba Zwane back from injury? expand_more
Yes. Zwane returned to the Mamelodi Sundowns starting XI ahead of the 2025–26 PSL season after a brief hamstring rest in the 2024–25 run-in. He has logged 24 PSL appearances this campaign and has been available for every matchday since October 2025 barring standard domestic rotation.
Who is the best striker at Mamelodi Sundowns? expand_more
Peter Shalulile. He holds the PSL all-time single-season goal record (23 in 2021–22) and has been Sundowns' top scorer in multiple title-winning campaigns. Zwane is Sundowns' creative No. 10 and playmaker; Shalulile is the penalty-box striker who finishes the chances Zwane and Cassius Mailula create.
Which players are leaving Mamelodi Sundowns in 2026? expand_more
No Sundowns departures have been publicly confirmed for summer 2026 as of April. The transfer market is open mid-season, so the definitive list will come from the club's official announcements rather than local press speculation. Core regulars such as Zwane, Shalulile and Mokoena remain under contract into the 2026–27 season.

Related

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Last updated 2026-04-21 · written by Naledi Mokoena.