The Amakhosi Resurrection is built on quicksand, and anyone who mistakes a five-game winning streak for a return to glory is ignoring the gaping hole in the middle of the pitch that Mamelodi Sundowns exposed with surgical precision. Kaizer Chiefs have indeed climbed into the top three of the Betway Premiership, a position that would have seemed laughable two months ago when the club was languishing in the bottom half of the table. But let’s not confuse a morale-boosting run with a genuine rebuild. The wins over Magesi FC and Orbit College were necessary, even commendable, but those are not the barometers of a championship contender — those are minimum requirements for a club that fancies itself South Africa’s biggest.
Nasreddine Nabi deserves credit for stabilizing a squad that seemed directionless in October, but the 2-0 loss to Sundowns at Loftus exposed every structural weakness that a plucky bottom-half side cannot. Against Magesi, Chiefs relied on a moment of brilliance from Gastón Sirino and a set-piece header from Thatayaone Ditlhokwe; against Orbit College, they were outplayed for long stretches before a late goal from Ashley du Preez papered over the cracks. The numbers tell the real story: in that five-game run, Chiefs had an expected goals differential barely above zero against teams currently in the relegation conversation. Then Sundowns arrived, controlled possession at 62 percent, and sliced through the Amakhosi defense with a simple one-two between Lucas Ribeiro and Peter Shalulile. The gulf in quality wasn’t a blip — it was a blueprint for every ambitious rival to follow.
If Kaizer Chiefs believe that a top-three finish validates their project, they are setting themselves up for another trophyless campaign — the club’s ninth consecutive season without silverware. The danger now is complacency, the seductive comfort of “we’re back” that has poisoned Naturena after every false dawn since 2015. Nabi must resist the urge to protect his current standing and instead use these final months to test the players who will actually matter when the knockout stages arrive. That means benching the inconsistent Edson Castillo and giving real minutes to the young legs of Mduduzi Shabalala and Samkelo Zwane, not leaning on veterans whose best years are behind them. The verdict is clear: this resurrection is a mirage unless Chiefs beat a genuine top-four rival — not just relegation fodder — and prove they can handle the physical and tactical intensity of a high-stakes match. One loss to Sundowns doesn’t define a season, but the refusal to learn from it will.