AmaZulu Football Club, since its acquisition by the Zungu Investments Company in October 2020, has become synonymous with managerial instability. The latest casualty is Spanish coach Pablo Franco Martin, dismissed along with his assistant Aitor van den Brule after a disastrous start to the 2024-25 season.
This marks the fourth managerial change in four years under the Zungu ownership, a period marked by significant investment, high-profile signings, and ultimately, disappointing results.
The Zungu family, with Sandile Zungu as president and the now-removed Manzini Zungu as director, initially promised a golden era for the Durban-based club. They aimed to elevate AmaZulu from its perennial relegation battles under previous owner Patrick Sokhela. However, the reality has fallen far short of this ambitious vision.
The controversial removal of Manzini Zungu earlier this year, following a scandal involving a failed R2.4 billion school feeding scheme tender, further destabilised the club's leadership. Sandile Zungu subsequently announced in July that he would be taking a more hands-on role in the club's management, a move that seemingly failed to prevent Martin's dismissal.
Despite publicly backing Martin just three months prior, stating, "We believe we have the right man for the job, and I think he has plenty of time… In his first season, he could've got 50 points and that would have been a huge turnaround in his first season… He now understands how the PSL works, the nuances that he would've been told about, he has experienced them first-hand," Zungu's confidence proved misplaced.
Martin's first season yielded only 36 points, a 11th-place finish, just six points clear of the relegation play-off spot occupied by Richards Bay.
The final straw for Martin came after three consecutive defeats at the start of the 2024-25 season. A 2-1 loss to Polokwane City, a 3-1 defeat to Kaizer Chiefs, and a 1-0 loss to Marumo Gallants proved too much for the club to bear. The statement announcing Martin and Van Den Brule's departure offered only a generic expression of gratitude, lacking any specific justification for the decision.
"We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to both Pablo Martin and Aitor van den Brule for their contributions during the last 15 months at the helm of the team," the statement read.
This latest dismissal highlights a pattern of short-lived managerial appointments since the Zungus took over. Including interim appointments, AmaZulu has had six different coaches in four years. Benni McCarthy enjoyed the most successful period, guiding the team to a second-place finish and a maiden CAF Champions League appearance.
However, even his tenure ended after 15 months due to a dip in form. Brandon Truter, Romain Folz, and now Martin have all followed suit, each failing to deliver the sustained success the Zungus envisioned.
The club's lavish spending on players nearing the end of their careers has also contributed to the overall disappointment. High-profile signings like Ramahlwe Mphahlele, Gabadinho Mhango, Pule Ekstein, George Maluleka, and Lehlohonolo Majoro, while boasting impressive track records elsewhere, have failed to replicate their past successes at AmaZulu.
This strategy of assembling an expensive squad has yielded little in terms of tangible results, leaving the Zungu era characterised by a cycle of high expectations and repeated underperformance.
With Martin's departure, AmaZulu is again searching for a new head coach. Vusumuzi Vilakazi, the club's DStv Diski Challenge coach, is a potential interim replacement, and he may even be considered for the permanent role given his previous experience with Golden Arrows and his success in guiding Natal Rich Boyz away from relegation.
