Themba Zwane Named Footballer Of The Season By The South African Football Journalists Association

A Mamelodi Sundowns star has been named as the Footballer of the Season by the South African Football Journalists Association (SAFJA). 

Following an entertaining 2019/20 season which ended in the bio-bubble in Gauteng, some of the top performers from the campaign, including Hlompho Kekana, Themba Zwane, Peter Shalulile, Samir Nurkovic and Lebogang Manyama were recognised for their efforts by being nominated as candidates for the inaugural SAFJA Footballer of the Season award. 

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However, it was Sundowns star Themba Zwane who walked away with the award and the ultimate prize.

This recognition by journalists, which is the first of its kind in the country, aims to honour top performing players for their hard work.  

SAFJA Announces Its First-Ever Men's Footballer Of The Season Award 

The Hollywoodbets SAFJA 2019-20 Men's Footballer of the Season winner announcement follows shortly after SAFJA's historic first honouring of a South African Women's Footballer of the Season in South Africa. SAFJA announced ex-Mamelodi Sundowns and current Dinamo-BSUPC (Belarus) forward Rhoda Mulaudzi as the inaugural Hollywoodbets SAFJA 2019-20 Women's Footballer of the Year in an online function on 1 September 2020. The Banyana star received a trophy and R10 000 in prizemoney. 

The winner of SAFJA's men's award will receive a trophy, a photo collage of their 2019-20 season, and media training for an amateur club of their choice. The five nominees were voted on by SAFJA's executive committee and four TV football commentators who are members of the association – Mark Gleeson, Kevan Evans, Duane Dell'Oca and Thabiso Tema. The members of the 108-strong SAFJA voted for the winner.  

SAFJA chairman Velile Mnyandu hailed this second milestone for the association. 

"After having a very successful inaugural Hollywoodbets SAFJA Women's Footballer of the Season, now to follow up with the SAFJA Men's Footballer of the Season is hugely important for our more-than 100 members, because we cover football from all different areas, amateur and professional," Mnyandu said. 

"And to come up with an excellent player from the season is something that we don't take for granted. But also it's an opportunity for us to acknowledge that we respect the talents who come through as rough diamonds from all different corners, not only from South Africa but also around the world, to play in the PSL. "So for this award we felt that it's been a while since journalists were involved in coming up with the best player for the season. So through this platform, this is where we get to contribute." 

Sandisiwe Bhengu, Hollywoodbets Operations Executive, praised association's efforts to reward South African talent. "The SAFJA awards are an incredible platform for South African sport and the work that was done to celebrate women in sport in the month of August was phenomenal. We now look forward to rewarding excellence in the male football arena in South Africa with the added value of creating a platform for the further development of the sport," said Bhengu.

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