Former Mamelodi Sundowns captain Teko Modise has described influential midfielder Themba Zwane’s talent as rare and untouchable as he nears full recovery from injury.
Mshishi suffered an Achilles injury while on national duty which has kept him out of action for about six months with most believing he may return to action later in the season and hopefully for the latter stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers having been an integral part of the team.
iDiski Times senior writer Matshelane Mamabolo penned a feature in edition 191 of the newspaper on the buzz about Mshishi’s return and what makes him special.
One of the voices he spoke to was ‘The General’ who praised Zwane’s talents saying the 35-year-old is natural at what he does.
“His natural talent is untouchable,” Modise told iDiski Times.
“Themba reads game situations in a way only he can, yet he still has that township savvy in a professional set-up and manages to balance the two to be effective for his team. That’s class.
“Players can be talented, but not many can be as influential as Mshishi is at Sundowns or in the national team.”
Mshishi’s absence from the game has also brought the big question on who will succeed him when he does decide to leave the stage. Modise had a few names from Sundowns however cautioned that it will rather be unfair on the players to be viewed the same way as Zwane as people differ.
“I guess the question is who has taken the torch or the baton to ensure the shoe-shine and piano continues in Mshishi’s absence,” added Modise.
“Well, you’ve had the [Aubrey] Modibas and [Teboho] Mokwenas raising their hands. I’ve seen the likes of [Siphelele] Mkhulise trying to be that player. I’ve seen Teboho try to take that responsibility. Lucas Ribeiro is making us excited again, and I think he can be a player you look at and say he can carry Sundowns.
“But you need someone to consistently do that, and for me, there has not been anyone who got to his level. Also, the thing is we look at everyone with the eyes that we look at Mshishi, and that can be a bit unfair because players differ.
“I guess we are also selfish with Mshishi because of the joy he brings us. We just want to see him.”
