Bongani Zungu has revealed that it was his decision to leave Mamelodi Sundowns as he was not in the right state of mind at the club.
Zungu left Sundowns at the end of last season in what was a surprising move, bringing an end to his second stint at the club.
The midfielder had been one of the key players under coach Rulani Mokwena, making 30 appearances in 2023-24, and it was a shock when he left.
Zungu, who signed for AmaZulu this week, having spent the last five months without a club, now says he made the painful decision to exit to get a hold of a lot of things that were not going right in his mind.
Why did the midfielder leave Sundowns?
“Yes, I felt it was the time for me to leave,” Zungu said during his first interview at Usuthu.
“I made the decision for my own good and my own mental happiness. It wasn’t something deep, but it was just a personal decision.
“I’ve mentioned the importance of being happy and in my time at Sundowns personally, obviously I went back to the club that I was in, I was used to everything and everyone, but at the time mentally I don’t think I was in a good state.
“And obviously that triggers you because football players are human beings, you have to be happy and put yourself first.”
Zungu looking for fresh start at Usuthu
Zungu first played for Sundowns between 2013 and 2016 before moving to Portuguese club Vitória Guimaraes after which he signed for French side Amiens and then Scottish giants Rangers before returning to Chloorkop.
The midfielder says it was because of the aforementioned issues that he did not hit the heights at his first stint at the club.
“That is maybe the reason why [I didn’t reach the heights of my first stint]. I can sit here and give you 100 reasons why – but for me it was on me, personally, mentally and maybe that’s why I didn’t reach the Ben10 [times],” he added.
“Right now, that’s where I am mentally. I’m happy to be at AmaZulu. I’ll always be grateful to Sundowns, forever. The president knows that. But this is a new challenge and I’m very happy and I can’t wait to get started.”
