Siwelele’s momentum stalls as AmaZulu claim key victory

Siwelele’s promising climb in recent weeks suffered a heavy jolt at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday, where their momentum was halted by a performance that never matched the standards of their recent revival.

The visitors arrived in Durban unbeaten in three matches — two wins and a draw — a stretch that had restored confidence and sharpened belief in their push away from the danger zone. But those strides quickly faded in a match where their early authority produced no reward.

AmaZulu struck twice through in-form winger Athini Maqokola, whose clinical brace — one goal on the stroke of halftime and another midway through the second half — punished Siwelele’s failure to convert their own early chances and ultimately shaped the outcome.

For coach Lehlohonolo Seema, the defeat was as much about application as it was about finishing, and he did not hesitate to point to the manner in which the match slipped away.

“This is a loss of our own doing,” Seema said.

“The first 15–20 minutes we should’ve gotten one or two goals and that’s where I think the players got caught thinking this was going to be an easy game.”

Those missed chances shifted the complexion of the contest. Instead of tightening their grip, Siwelele allowed AmaZulu to grow into the match — a lapse that proved costly.

“The more the game went, AmaZulu grew because they’re a good team,” he said.

“This is a game we want to forget as quickly as possible because we didn’t apply ourselves correctly.”

Despite the disappointment, Seema stressed that his players were not overwhelmed, only punished for brief lapses that swung the match.

“I know where my team is sitting,” he said.

“They know they weren’t outclassed or anything, they just conceded two goals and lost the three points.”

Seema has long emphasised the mental rebuilding required within the squad — a group still carrying the residue of previous seasons spent fighting for scraps in the colours of SuperSport United. 

“This team came with 95% of the players we inherited from the previous club,” he explained. “And they had a run of about two years of struggling to win games, and therefore we are still trying to take out that mentality.”

He insisted that inconsistency remains part of this transition.

“For us to get that mentality out, we will lose games and win others as well,” he said. “But that makes us vulnerable because we know everyone is targeting us.”

Above all, Seema reminded that nothing about the current climb guarantees safety.

“We are not far from where we want to go and we’ll continue to fight,” he said. “Each and every game at this club we’re playing for our lives … we have to fight for relegation this year.”