Zitha Kwinika Leads Kaizer Chiefs' Tactical Evolution

Zitha Kwinika has barely put a foot wrong this season – or a foot up, for that matter. He has played every single minute for Kaizer Chiefs, anchoring the defence alongside new partner Inacio Miguel, and he can feel something shifting at Naturena.

Now in his fifth campaign since returning to the club, the 32-year-old sounds convinced that this version of Chiefs is not the same fragile side that stumbled through last season.

“I think the team is also coping well with the new coaches and the new season,” he said, speaking to KickOff. “I think we have proven in the games we have played that we… are a different team compared to last season. The style of play, and the structure show there's improvement.”

The change, he insists, is not cosmetic. It’s tactical.

“There are new tactics that are being placed and we are trying to get to a certain way of playing that we enjoy. We are getting better as a team.”

Smaller teams, bigger attitude

For years, Chiefs have been haunted by the same storyline: dropped points against so‑called smaller clubs. Title ambitions undone not in derbies or blockbusters, but on quieter afternoons where focus slipped and opportunities vanished.

Kwinika wants that chapter closed.

On Wednesday, Amakhosi travel to Princess Magogo Stadium to face Richards Bay, a fixture that would once have been filed under “routine” and then, far too often, turned into a regret. Not this time, he insists. Inside the camp, games like this now carry the same emotional weight as the Soweto Derby.

“Obviously, Richards Bay is a difficult team to play against, yes, we give them the respect, but we also have our objectives, so we know what we expect and we have prepared well for them,” he said.

Then he sharpened the point.

“This season, we are in a different mission of saying the games that we need to collect points [from] are such games [against Richards Bay]. We must win these games.”

No dressing it up. No excuses. Just a demand.

Chasing rhythm, not just results

Da Cruz’s side has one clear domestic obsession: ending Chiefs’ long league title drought. That kind of run doesn’t break with one big win; it breaks with a relentless habit.

For Kwinika, consistency is everything. Not just in performance, but in what it does to the mind.

“Obviously, to keep the momentum is for us to get positive results,” he explained. “I think that is the best way to keep the momentum, getting good results, mainly winning games, that’s the only way to keep the momentum going in the environment and the confidence.”

Winning, he says, must become normal.

“So, I think getting used to winning is important because it just creates an environment of winners and winners get stronger by day.”

That’s the culture he wants to live in. Not flashes of brilliance. A daily standard.

Youth stepping up, squad buying in

The veteran defender is not carrying this belief alone. He sees it in the changing face of the dressing room, where younger players and new arrivals are no longer just filling out the numbers – they are influencing matches.

The emergence of Langelihle Phili and Luke Baartman as starters has sent a jolt of energy through the squad.

“The new players are gelling well… to name like your [Langelihle] Phili scored a goal and your [Luke] Baartman, yes, they have been with the team but now getting an opportunity to start games,” Kwinika said.

For him, those selections are not sentimental experiments. They are proof.

“That shows we are in the right direction, and most players are understanding what’s required from them.”

Chiefs have spoken of rebuilding and transition for years. Kwinika’s words carry a different edge: this is no longer about theories and timelines. With the league drought stretching on and fixtures like Richards Bay away turning into quiet litmus tests, the question is blunt.

If this really is a “different mission”, how long before it starts showing on the table?