'In everything that we do, we follow what we call a holistic approach,' said Ngwevela.
Mamelodi Sundowns Physiotherapist, Sakhumzi Ngwevela attending to injured Themba Zwane during the 2025 MTN8 Semi Final 1st Leg match against Orlando Pirates at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on 16 August 2025 © Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix
After Bafana Bafana’s FIFA World Cup campaign came to an end with a defeat to Canada on Sunday, the players will now return to their clubs to begin preparations for the new season.
Rest for Sundowns’ Bafana stars
Mamelodi Sundowns are scheduled to resume pre-season training on Wednesday, but their World Cup stars are expected to be given additional time off to recover after their exploits in North America.
The Brazilians found themselves in a similar situation last year after competing at the FIFA Club World Cup, with limited time to prepare for the domestic campaign.
After Miguel Cardoso trimmed his squad last season, members of the Sundowns medical team have explained how they keep players in peak physical condition throughout the season.
Although Sundowns relinquished the Betway Premiership to Orlando Pirates, they won the CAF Champions League for the first time in 10 years.
Speaking on the Pitchside Podcast, Sundowns Physiotherapist, Sakhumzi Ngwevela revealed to their approach to what was a demanding season.
“Football is a high-performance sport and there are sacrifices that have to be made. In everything that we do, we follow what we call a holistic approach,” he said.
“Everybody sits down, the players, coach, conditioning coach and medical team to discuss these things because we know the smaller the squad, the less time there is to recover.
“But when you have a bigger squad, you can give a player four to five days [off] because you have back-up, but when you have a smaller squad, it becomes very tough.”
Sundowns had eight players in North America as Bafana made history by reaching the World Cup knockout stage for the first time.
‘You don’t have the luxury’
The medical team at Chloorkop will have to once again work around the clock to manage the load on players ahead of next season.
Masandawana Head of Medical Carl Tabane echoed Ngwevela’s sentiments on how they manage the heavy workload across different competitions.
“There are a lot of players who had been carrying niggling and chronic ailments where we could have easily said ‘your season is done’ but we had to get the buy-in of the players,” Dr Tabane added.
“To say that ‘guys, we have a season to finish.’ Yes, we had a smaller squad where there was a lot of pressure in a season where you have a lot of loading. And you’re racing against time. You don’t have the luxury of putting this one (player) out for a while so it was quite difficult.”
Ronwen Williams, Khulumani Ndamane, Khuliso Mudau, Aubrey Modiba, Teboho Mokoena, Jayden Adams, Themba Zwane and Iqraam Rayners were all included in Hugo Broos’ squad.
