AmaZulu team striker, Thando Ngwenya, was named PSL Player of the Month for the 2026/27 season, while Abdeslam Waddu received the Coach of the Month award. Tandolvencosi Ngwenya showed an impressive start to the new Betway Premiership season, but now the forward faces the task of turning early potential into a long-term legacy, similar to that created by other Zimbabwean players like Khama Billiat and Shane Musona.
Ngwenya has already attracted significant interest from AmaZulu fans. After being Usuthu's top scorer last season with six league goals, the Zimbabwean player has shown explosive form this current season. Five goals in four matches in August earned him the Betway Premiership Player of the Month award, helped him climb the scoring charts, and secured him a call-up to the Zimbabwe national team.
This is a rapid rise for a forward who spent most of last season adapting to the demands of South African football. Now, he is expected to achieve significantly higher goals. AmaZulu coach Arthur Zwane recently compared him to Billiat and Musona—two legendary Zimbabwean forwards who became prominent figures during their PSL careers.
For Ngwenya himself, this comparison holds special significance, as Billiat is not just a former PSL star player but a role model since childhood. During a press day at Usuthu's external grounds at Kings Park stadium, Ngwenya stated: 'I am happy because one of these players is my role model, Khama Billiat. I am pleased because every time I talk to him, he always tells me to share things with him.'
The statistics demonstrate how high this standard is set. Musona played for Kaizer Chiefs, scoring 15 league goals in the 2010/11 season to win the Leslie Manyatela Golden Boot, and later scored 40 goals in 88 matches over two spells at Amakhosi FC. Billiat's legacy was built in an era full of trophies: he scored over 70 league goals, including 41 for Mamelodi Sundowns, and won PSL Footballer of the Year, Player of the Year, and Midfielder of the Year awards in the 2015/16 season, winning three league titles and the CAF Champions League.
Ngwenya is at the beginning of his journey, but his five goals in August—only eight goals in all competitions—have raised expectations. The forward understands that opposing defenders will now approach him with heightened vigilance. He noted: 'It is obvious that this is a big challenge because they will try to constantly mark me. I will try to find another way to penetrate the defense.'
Being able to catch defenders off guard as a relatively unknown talent is one thing, but continuing to score when teams develop tactics aimed at stopping him—that is the true sign of an elite striker. Ngwenya is handling this increased attention instead of avoiding it. When asked what would constitute a successful campaign in front of goal, the Usuthu forward gave a simple answer: 'Double digits, you could say double digits.'
Reaching ten or more league goals will mark another significant step in his development. Although the international player remains humble, he is aware of the growing expectations of fans back home. He added: 'Everyone is waiting for me, saying I should bring this game to the national team. So it feels like pressure, but I will just leave everything up to the Almighty.'
If Ngwenya can transform his initial momentum into a sustained scoring campaign, the comparisons with Musona and Billiat will become not just flattering praise from his coach, but a benchmark of his glory in the PSL.