Posted in News on Jun 21, 2002.
Zwane, who had an impressive season yet missed out on the national squad to the Nations Cup and World Cup, was voted the 2001-2002 Amakhosi Player of the Year an award which carries R50 000 prize money.
This award is given to the player who has shown great character, commitment and co9nsistency throughout the season both on and off the field. And Zwane did exactly that as he went and extra mile in the Chiefs campaign.
The second most prestigious Amakhosi award went to a player who has defied odds with his significant improvement throughout the season and Mabotsa, a graduate of the Kaizer Chiefs Development Academy, emerged heads above shoulders to snatch the R30 000 prize money.
When veteran defenders Lifa Gqosha and Jacob Tshisevhe left, questions were raised about Amakhosi backline’s ability to deal with the threat from top Premier League strikers but Mabotsa never put a foot wrong and has since grown from strength to strength displaying an incredible amount of confidence.
In true Amakhosi tradition the two stars of the night – while still wallowing in their feat – were further surprised as passanger vehicle supplier Nissan handed them with two off-road 4X4’s with Zwane driving home a stocky, sturdy and as tough as a pit bull terrier Nissan X-Trail with Mabotsa rolling home in his new stylish urban cruiser Nissan Hardbody.
Zwane and Mabotsa were not the only winners on the night, PSL Players Player of the Year Jabu Pule added another award to his long list of awards collected throughout the season as he was named Amakhosi Players’ Player of the Year.
Pule, on holiday in Cape Town after his return from the World Cup with Bafana Bafana, also took home the award for the Top Goal Scorer with R10 000 prize money and the Best Goal of the Year.
From the Vodacom Challenge through to the Mandela Cup and league campaign, Pule has always scored vital goals for his team. And it is through these and other outstanding goals that he received such honour.
The sensational midfielder has already annexed the Amakhosi Magazine – official Kaizer Chiefs monthly magazine - and Kick-Off Magazine – leading SA soccer magazine - Player of the Year.
Malawian international defender Patrick Mabedi was handed the Fair Play award for being exemplary throughout the season on and off the field receiving the least number of bookings because of his level-headed approach to the game.
All Chiefs players – including those on the transfer list – and the entire technical staff were handed appreciation awards “for brining back the taste of glory” at Naturena in a campaign that yielded for major trophies plus the African Club of the Year award.
Special awards were also conferred to individuals who made the difference at Chiefs by going the extra mile in keeping Amakhosi a step ahead of the chasing pack.
The Moment in History award was handed to Mrs Juleka Motaung, who worked overtime to ensure that former President Nelson Mandela’s historic visit to the Chiefs Village became a reality for the official opening of the Chiefs Village.
The Leadership Award went to managing director Kaizer Motaung “for his unique visionary leadership style”. Coach Muhsin Ertugral received the Achievement Award for guiding Chiefs to four trophies and the African Club of the Year.
Monthly Awards - voted in by the technical staff and through votes gathered via the Amakhosi website, www.kaizerchiefs.com
July – Nhlanhla Kubeka for a sterling performance in the Vodacom Challenge
August – Jossias Macamo very impressive during his first few matches at Amakhosi and even scored the only goal in the 1-0 win against Wits University on his league debut in Kanyamazame in Nelspruit.
September – Cyril Nzama was hot during and his darting runs down the right and frequent involvement in free-kicks saw him score the all-important equaliser in the BP Top Eight final against Sundowns to take the match into extra time with Amakhosi winning on penalty shootouts.
October – It was veteran Thabo Mooki’s turn to excel. With the Amakhosi machine in full throttle in the African Cup Winners’ Cup – Mandela Cup – and the final in sight, Tsiki Tsiki was on song as Chiefs hosted Club Africain of Tunisia in the first leg of the semifinals where he scored two brilliant goals to give 2-0 advantage.
November and December – The festive season belonged to the soft-spoken Arthur Zwane. It was a rocky spell for Amakhosi started dropping points against SuperSport United on December 5.
That was followed by two consecutive defeats and then two draws but no one could question Zwane’s commitment on those occasions. At times he was left wondering what more his side needed to do to put the ball at the back of the net.
January – New-comer Rowen Fernandez was tested between the posts and never disappointed. He did well under pressure from the hard-to-please Amakhosi supporters and was particularly impressive in the league match against the sharp-looking Classic at Rand Stadium where he kept a clean sheet.
February – Stanton Fredericks was a breath of fresh air in matches against Golden Arrows Chiefs winning 1-0 at Chatsworth, Ajax Cape Town won 3-1 at Ellis Park and Santos drawn 0-0 at Green Point.
March and April – Jabu Pule, who ended the season as Amakhosi’s top scorer, was the talk of town following his clinical two goals in 5-1 hammering of Moroka Swallows at Rand Stadium on March 27.
Sundowns, Hellenic (Pule netting twice to give Amakhosi a 4-1 win) and Jomo Cosmos (match drawn 0-0) all got the taste of what an in-form Pule could do on a day.
That performance earned the former national under-23 star a place in the Bafana Bafana preliminary squad for the World Cup and ultimately a place in the final squad.
