Nearly a year after he joined the club, Kaizer Chiefs strength and conditioning coach Muzi ‘Muz Monster’ Maluleke has made a huge difference in the Amakhosi setup, according to head coach Arthur Zwane. Maluleke, who holds a Master’s degree in Sports Science, was roped in by Chiefs in June last year to rectify the club’s fitness issues as highlighted by Sporting Director Kaizer Motaung Jnr. When asked about Maluleke’s contribution to his side, Zwane spoke highly of his new fitness guru, revealing that Chiefs fitness has improved dramatically. “[We have a fitter team] by far. It’s just that this is not the right platform for me to release the stats.

I’ll give you one example, this season, Khama Billiat in 40 minutes, covered the distance that he used to cover for 90 minutes,” Zwane told journalists at the Nedbank Cup quarter final draw. “So, it tells you what has been the problem in the past and what we had to work on and obviously improve the team and find our way in terms of the identity as well. Unfortunately, we are dealing with players who come from different mindsets, backgrounds, environments, so when it comes to chemistry, it’s going to take a while,” Zwane continued. Chiefs were drawn against Royal AM in the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals but before then, they will take on Maritzburg United in the DStv Premiership.