From a young Zimbabwean talent to the top scorer in the Betway Premiership: who is Thando Ngwenya, already attracting interest from Africa’s top clubs
Club football has paused for international fixtures, making this the perfect time to take an early look at the opening stretch of the season in South Africa’s Betway Premiership. One of the biggest revelations of the opening rounds has been a player whose name, until recently, was far from familiar even in his native Zimbabwe.
Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya has burst into the new season with such speed that he is already at the center of attention across South Africa. The AmaZulu forward has scored eight goals in seven league matches, leads the scoring charts and is closing in on a piece of history.
The 23-year-old striker has scored in each of the first seven Betway Premiership matches. After finding the net against Polokwane City, he matched the record set by Grant Young and Esau Kanyenda — previously, only those two players had managed to score in seven consecutive South African league matches during the PSL era. One more goal in the next round will see Ngwenya set a new record.
His goalscoring form, however, extends beyond the league. In the MTN8, the forward scored twice against Sekhukhune United. That means Ngwenya has already scored ten goals in all competitions this season.
But his current rise did not come out of nowhere. Behind these numbers lies a journey that began in Zimbabwe, long before Ngwenya became one of the most talked-about forwards in African football.
Football ran in the family
Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya was born on December 19, 2002, in Zimbabwe. Football was part of his life from an early age: his father had played professionally and spent some time in Botswana.
Ngwenya’s mother also played a major role in his first steps. She was the one who took her son to BN Academy and helped provide him with football equipment. His family supported the boy’s desire to play football, while his brother later also joined the FC Platinum system.
For Ngwenya, FC Platinum gradually became more than just a football academy — it became his dream club. He came through the team’s system and was given a chance to move closer to senior football.
In 2021, when Ngwenya was 18, FC Platinum promoted him from the U19 team to the senior squad. At the time, the young footballer was still studying at Zvishavane High School. He had to balance his school responsibilities with adapting to senior football, where experienced professionals surrounded him.
The adaptation was not easy. Ngwenya later said that more experienced players helped him during his first few months, supporting the young forward and allowing him to gradually feel like part of the team.
Nine goals in his first full season
Ngwenya’s transition to senior football was swift. In the 2022 season, the 19-year-old striker scored nine goals in the Zimbabwean league and was named Player of the Month in May.
Even then, his pace, technique and ability to find space in the box stood out. But the player himself knew exactly whom he wanted to emulate. His footballing role models included Khama Billiat and Peter Shalulile. Ngwenya was particularly impressed by Shalulile — a striker who built his career through relentless work and high intensity.
His rise, however, was not a straight line. Ngwenya had to overcome an injury and a period in which his progress stalled. After returning, he began to regain his form. In the first half of 2025, the forward scored nine goals in 18 Zimbabwean league matches. By then, it had become clear that FC Platinum was already too small a stage for him.
AmaZulu placed their faith in him
In the summer of 2025, Ngwenya moved to South Africa. His performances attracted the attention of several Betway Premiership clubs — Golden Arrows, Chippa United and AmaZulu — while his displays for Zimbabwe at the COSAFA Cup provided an additional argument in favor of the transfer. AmaZulu won the race for the striker and handed him a two-year contract.
His first season in the new country was not spectacular. Ngwenya made 16 league appearances and scored six goals, before suffering an injury at the beginning of March that effectively ended his season. Inside the club, however, they understood that the player’s potential was much greater. AmaZulu head coach Arthur Zwane believed that, with better finishing, Ngwenya could have ended the season with 15–16 goals.
Trust me, if Thando took many other chances that we have created, Thando would have been a top goal scorer in the PSL right now, - the coach said.
Zwane also compared his forward’s potential with that of renowned Zimbabwean football stars such as Peter Ndlovu, Khama Billiat and Knowledge Musona. At the same time, the coach stressed that Ngwenya still needed to improve his physical conditioning and game intelligence. It appears that working on those aspects became one of the keys to his breakthrough.
Now he is impossible to stop
The 2026/27 season has turned into a genuine breakthrough campaign for Ngwenya. The forward scored in each of the first seven Betway Premiership matches and has already found the net eight times. In several games, he was the decisive factor behind AmaZulu’s victories and was named Player of the Month.
His name now sits near the top of all the league’s major statistical charts. But it is not only the number of goals that stands out — it is the consistency.
Seven consecutive matches with a goal is a feat that only a select few have managed in PSL history. Ngwenya is now just one match away from turning a record-equalling run into a record of his own.
For the striker, this could become another major step in his career. Not long ago, he was a promising forward trying to establish himself in South Africa. Now he is viewed as one of the most dangerous players in the league.
From the national-team bench to Zimbabwe’s main hope
What makes Ngwenya’s club breakthrough particularly interesting is that it has coincided with a fresh opportunity at international level. He made his Zimbabwe debut in September 2025 in a World Cup qualifier against Rwanda. The striker played 66 minutes, but was unable to establish himself in the team afterward.
What is more, Ngwenya was left out of Zimbabwe’s final squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, despite his strong club form. Now everything has changed.
Zimbabwe’s new head coach Ramon Catala has called Ngwenya up for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For the 23-year-old forward, this is a chance to prove that his phenomenal form for AmaZulu is not merely a short-term surge.
Ngwenya understands the task perfectly. He must now carry his club confidence onto the international stage and prove that he can be just as dangerous against the continent’s strongest national teams.
What comes next?
Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya’s rapid rise has not gone unnoticed beyond South Africa. The AmaZulu forward’s dazzling performances have already attracted interest from several ambitious clubs. Moroccan giants Raja Casablanca are interested in the 23-year-old striker. The club has reportedly already contacted AmaZulu and the player’s representatives to express its desire to discuss a potential transfer. Wydad Casablanca, another leading Moroccan club, is also said to be interested.
There is also interest from Zimbabwe. Scottland FC, who are aiming to establish themselves among the country’s leading clubs, view Ngwenya as a potential attacking reinforcement. Another factor could be the forward’s relationship with the team’s head coach, Norman Mapeza — it was under his management that Ngwenya began his professional journey at FC Platinum.
AmaZulu, however, have no desire to part with their leading scorer. A source inside the club said that Ngwenya is “not for sale” at this stage of the season, and even the January transfer window may not change that stance. His contract runs until June 30, 2027, though, so it seems unlikely that he will remain at AmaZulu for much longer.
That is precisely what makes Ngwenya’s story so fascinating. Just a few years ago, he was a schoolboy from Zimbabwe whose mother took him to a football academy and helped him take his first steps in the game. Then came FC Platinum, a first full season with nine goals, an injury, a move to South Africa, a difficult debut campaign and a fresh opportunity at AmaZulu.
Now we are looking at a completely different Ngwenya. The 23-year-old forward leads the Betway Premiership scoring charts, is one step away from a historic record, has earned a call-up to the national team and has caught the eye of some of Africa’s leading clubs.
And perhaps the most intriguing part of the entire story is that Ngwenya’s ceiling remains completely unknown.
Jan Novak
Dailysports's expert
