Zwane, who is currently the Chiefs’ reserve team coach, has worked with Mashiane over the past two seasons and thus would have seen plenty of his ability and potential.
After seeing him earn promotion to the first team by coach Ernst Middendorp last month, ‘10111’ is confident the 21-year-old is a bright prospect deserving of his opportunity.
“Happy is a special player. He’s got that educated left-foot and he’s one player that is unpredictable – you don’t know what to expect from him when he’s in possession of the ball,” Zwane said of the youngster.
“He can do anything with the ball, he’s very tricky, but most importantly he has a football brain and he’s a very direct player – he always thinks about going forward.
“At his age, he’s got a bright future. He still has a lot to learn and he still has a long way to go, but he needs us to guide him in the right direction and not mislead or lie to him.”
With one of the biggest fixtures on the PSL calendar coming up on Saturday (15h30), Zwane also believes Mashiane has shown capabilities of handling the pressures of a Soweto Derby, thanks to the MultiChoice Diski Challenge (MDC) and Shield (MDS) platforms given to them.
“He’s got the character, I think MDC has also afforded us a platform for these boys to learn because remember he has now played about two or three [reserve] Soweto Derbies,” he added.
“One of them was when we definitely needed to win the game in the MDS last year, when we were fighting [against Pirates] to progress to the semi-finals, and it was a game that demanded a lot from the individuals.
“Mashiane played a big role in that game, he scored a brilliant goal, and it was one game that made him come out of his shell. Even I was shocked because I didn’t expect it from him. [Ed’s Note: Chiefs won 6-3]
“And, since that day, he has been a different player. I think, if he gets an opportunity to play on Saturday, I hope that he settles very quick and I have no doubt [he will perform].”