Bidvest Wits defender Buhle Mkhwanazi is determined to finish the 2019-20 season on a high as they are within a chance of claiming the Absa Premiership title and Nedbank Cup trophy.

The Clever Boys occupy sixth place in the league standings with 39 points from 21 matches and were nine points behind log-leaders Kaizer Chiefs before the season was suspended due to Covid-19.

However, government has since greenlighted the resumption of football, which means the 2019-20 Absa Premiership can restart after three months.

At the restart, Wits are set to take on rivals Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup semi-final. They will be hoping to book their place in the final to move one step closer to claiming their first piece of silverware this season.

‘We’re going to go back anytime from now, and obviously we’ll need to dish out performances that will really please the fans, our families and ourselves,’ Mkhwanazi told the SA Football Journalists’ Association (Safja).

‘We’re sitting in a position whereby we’re in the semi-finals of the [Nedbank] Cup and we’re also still all right in the league – we still have a game in hand also.

‘So, it’s very important that we stay focused and, with the guys, now and then I just ring them and hear how they’re doing, whether they’re keeping their diets all right and if they are disturbed with whatever is happening.

‘Our families are mostly troubled, hearing that footballers need to go back while they are at home, so it’s something difficult for us as players.

‘But, as a leader, I need to step up and keep encouraging and motivating the guys up until we go back, and I must continue to do my job as a leader up until we finish the season. Hopefully, we finish it on a high.’