With a new 2-year contract, with an option to extend a further year, signed and sealed, Bruce Bvuma has set his sights on nailing down the Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeping position for the foreseeable future as a gesture of gratitude for the opportunity to fulfil the potential that earned him his new deal.

“My thanks go first to the Almighty for blessing me, and I would also like to thank the Club; the Chairman and all the management for believing in me and giving me another chance to be at Kaizer Chiefs,” the 28-year-old tells www.kaizerchiefs.com, “I have been here for 10 years now, if I count the development days, so I am just grateful that they still trust me. I want to repay their faith in me by performing on the field throughout the contract.”

Prior to the mid-season break, Bvuma kept numerous clean sheets, occasionally pulling off stupendous saves to repel the opposition. Yet, with a sense of humility that characterises him, Bvuma dismisses the notion that it was all down to him.

“Every goalkeeper wants to keep clean sheets, but in truth, it is teamwork that produces them and I appreciate the protection from the defenders, as well as the midfielders and even the strikers, because defence begins at the front. I can’t take credit alone. Everybody contributes to keeping goals out,” he says.

Despite not making the final squad for the recently-completed 2023 Afcon in Cote D’Ivoire, having spent time in the national team set-up during qualification, Bvuma is full of praise for his compatriots’ achievement.

“I congratulate the whole Bafana Bafana team, the coach and his technical team. They have done a very good job,” he says emphatically, “When I was there, I could see how much everyone sacrificed and they deserve all the credit they are getting for making the country proud.”

Having come through six weeks without competitive football, Bvuma is raring to get back into action.

“I believe the mid-season break served me well because it gave me a chance to reflect on the good things that I experienced so far. I was happy to be able to spend time with my wife and family, which was a break from football-related issues, and refreshed me for when I joined the mini pre-season. We have worked very hard and I am confident we are ready to resume.

“Personally, I am happy with my form in the training camp and I am really looking forward to the league resuming this coming weekend,” he declares.

Amakhosi face Royal AM at the Harry Gwala stadium in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday afternoon in their first DStv Premiership clash of the new year.

“We have done our analysis on Royal AM. We know they are in a position they don’t want to be in, but to be honest, they are a very good team. However, we have done our homework and we know how they play. As Kaizer Chiefs, we take every game as a big game, a final, so we want to go there and collect maximum points, and give our supporters a good start to 2024,” Bvuma concludes.