CHIEF OF CHIEFS
Kaizer Motaung never thought the seed he planted during South Africa’s dark past would grow into a shining success that would endure. Today his soccer club, Kaizer Chiefs, stands like a baobab tree that has produced fruit exported to leagues around the globe.
Several stars who donned the black and gold strip owe a debt of gratitude to Motaung, whose 53-yearold club was a springboard to careers in foreign fields.
It was from Chiefs that Lucas Radebe transferred to Leeds United in the English Premier League, where he rose to prominence, captained the Yorkshire side and became the darling of Elland Road.
“The journey continues. I believe that long after we are gone this establishment will be there,” declares Motaung. Clean-shaven and soft-spoken, he turned 79 last month. For a septuagenarian, he is in fine fettle, with an upright posture and a steady stride.
Motaung pioneered the path to the future when he left Orlando Pirates for the North American Soccer League in 1968.
The chief among Chiefs is an iconic figure in that he started a club, played for it, coached it, and managed it into a successful empire that ranks as one of the true successes of black business. Only Jomo Sono comes close.
Most club bosses were tycoons who owned businesses before becoming soccer bosses. In almost every township, there was a local tycoon such as the late Petros “Whitehead” Molemela, a rich man who used that base to build his beloved Bloemfontein Celtic, which commanded a huge following in the Free State.
Many did not survive democracy, as was the case with Celtic.
Under Motaung’s leadership, Chiefs grew in stature and attracted supporters across the country. The team boasts 500 supporter branches across southern Africa.
Motaung’s empire employs more than 200 people. Each of the various teams has 30 players and their own technical staff.
While their history is glowing, the present is gloomy. The cup kings of yesteryear are enduring torrid times, suffering from an incurable allergy to trophies. Amakhosi used to collect silverware with gluttony; nowadays they are gluttons for punishment, with an eight-year barren spell sans a league title or cup competition trophy.
Chiefs are at the other end of the spectrum from Mamelodi Sundowns, who have enjoyed unparalleled dominance of the Premiership Soccer League. But as a brand, Chiefs reign supreme.
Not only did Chiefs reach a zenith by rivalling Pirates, which gave Motaung a break as a teen of 16, they also pushed the Pirates-Moroka Swallows Soweto derby to the periphery. And a fortnight ago, Motaung was inducted into the South African Hall of Fame.
We meet at The Lounge of Naturena Village, the club’s headquarters south of Johannesburg.
The facility is a monument to achievement, a spectacular upgrade from Motaung’s parents’ humble matchbox house in Phefeni, Orlando West, the original clubhouse where Kaizer XI was birthed before it was registered and rechristened as Chiefs in 1970.
“We grew up during times when we were made to believe we are subhuman and subjected to the whims of the apartheid regime,” said Motaung. “The challenges were the same as those encountered by every black person. As life went on, we became wiser.”
A thorny issue arose when Motaung returned from the US to find turmoil at Pirates. Star players Msomi Khoza, Zero Johnson and Ratha Mokgoatlheng (now a judge, and presiding in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial) were expelled. Motaung’s attempt to forge peace proved fruitless.
The players coalesced around Motaung. He ventured into the unknown after seeking the counsel of his father, who encouraged him to follow his heart.
“I must thank God that at least my father was able to play a part in guiding my way forward. When he passed on it was a sad day in the family. But I was fortunate in that when we started the whole journey of Kaizer Chiefs he was there from day one.
“What triggered it was I had colleagues who were with me at Orlando Pirates ... and obviously you know the history. But I must say I thank them for the role they played. The formation of this club was because of a difficulty they found themselves in,” he said.
Motaung’s father died during the early years of the club.
“He is one of the people that gave me strength and said nothing will stop me if I feel determined and believe in what I’m doing. I took those lessons from him. He encouraged us to go ahead. He was a great loss but made me very strong because we were still young at the time.”
“Us” and “we” refer to the “founding fathers of this club”, the likes of the late Ewert Nene, Johnson, Mokgoatlheng and Khoza.
“I had to take a stand and see whether we could resolve matters. Unfortunately, we could not.
Therefore I was forced to play a part in putting the whole thing together, to make sure they get the support they needed,” he said.
There were also people who were not players, like “the late Samuel Shezi who was called Makhosi and the late Gilbert Sekgabi, Clarence Mlokoti and a few more who were also on the supporting side of things, like Mr Msibi and Mr Simelane in Meadowlands”.
“We stood together prepared to make sure that we commit towards starting a new home, which we did. They kept the home fires burning when I went back overseas.”
Eliakim Khumalo, father of Chiefs superstar Doctor
Khumalo, joined the bandwagon that became the stage for Computer Lamola, Ace Ntsoelengoe, Teenage Dladla and Lucky Stylianou, the first white player to join Chiefs.
“Doctor’s father made things easy for us in terms of helping us to create a training field for us opposite the house in Phefeni because he worked for the municipality.”
Venturing into a Soweto already the backyard of established outfits such as Swallows and Pirates must have been petrifying.
“Yes, when we started a lot of people thought this was not going to last. They thought it would take a few months and collapse. They did not understand our resolve. We believed in what we were putting ourselves into.”
At some stage Motaung will depart the scene. He is convinced the institution will continue to exist long after he is gone.
“I believe so because to have gone over 50 years, having worked so hard to put it where it is, none of us in our wildest dreams when we started thought it would be where it is today. But we have created something that will still grow by leaps and bounds. We have worked on succession plans.
“You have the founders of the business and people who run the business, who grow the business, but there comes a time when their time is up. Just like any person who works during his life and then reaches retirement. There must be somebody who takes over.
“Succession in this case means that those of us who have imparted our knowledge, we must introduce the young ones who will be able to carry the baton forward.”
Motaung’s two sons and two daughters work at the family business. Bobby is the football manager. Kaizer jnr is the sporting director. Jessica heads the marketing division and Kemiso the multimedia section.
Of the four siblings, only Jessica sits on the board of
Kaizer Motaung dared to dream 53 years ago by creating an institution that survived the storms of apartheid, writes Bareng-Batho Kortjaas
Yes, when we started a lot of people thought this was not going to last. They thought it would take a few months and collapse
directors. Many have assumed she is next in line. But it is not a foregone conclusion.
“Well, the baton will go according to people’s strengths. They bring different strengths into it. And, obviously it is not only about them but the team surrounding them, people with expertise to support the journey forward.”
What is Bobby’s strength in his father’s eyes?
“Well, he is a very good organiser. He’s had a lot of experience now as the club manager. His strength is that of making sure that, on the technical side, the teams are doing things together [in] the correct way and that they get the support they need from management. He deals with all day-to-day challenges faced by any team manager. His strength is in that space.”
And his namesake Kaizer jnr?
“Obviously, he’s young but is bringing quite a lot of knowledge and experience as a player. But also, on the administrative side he’s got a financial degree. He has enrolled for this sports directorship. He’s going to grow with the brand. He’s bringing a lot, I think, which makes a lot of sense because today you also need not only experienced people but young people because technology plays a key role in our way forward. He’s one of those who is going to show good leadership in future.”
Now for Jessica and Kemiso.
“Jessica is already being identified even by the people of Caf [Confederation of African Football] and stuff like that. She’s involved in Caf, she’s involved as far as the PSL is concerned.
“For the business, she has done very well as marketing director. So, the scope is very wide for her. Kemiso is more on the digital and technology stuff which is what is driving businesses today. She is coming in handy to put her shoulder behind the wheel.”
He laughs when reminded that Bobby, faced by disgruntled supporters, infamously referred to Chiefs as a family business.
“A family business doesn’t mean there are no people employed from outside. You still must bring expertise in every department of your business,” said
Motaung.
People from different walks of life, from the education, political and business spectrum have inspired Motaung. It sparks my curiosity about other influential figures in his life.
“The ones who would be outstanding are those who were involved in the political battle ... we all know about what they did for us, politicians who were fighting our cause. We hero-worshipped them and wanted to emulate their status. And others who were playing a very significant role in terms of education.”
His generation in Orlando would have passed through the hands of the late Thamsanqa Wilkinson “TW” Kambule, the first black mathematics professor in South Africa.
Motaung laughs about when he was at odds with Kambule over football. A clash of Orlando Pirates and school team fixtures created a conundrum for Motaung, who was then cutting his teeth at Pirates.
“TW Kambule played a significant role in my life. I was at Orlando High. But he gave me a very difficult time. I was still a youngster playing for Orlando Pirates in the South African Soccer League second division and I was also supposed to play for Orlando High on some of the Saturdays. I chose to play for Pirates.
“I was given a bit of a lashing and got a few on my backside from him. But he meant well. He didn’t mean any harm. He wanted me to understand that the school team is more important than Orlando Pirates,” he said.
Motaung is an avid golfer but “these days he is lazy”, said businessman Mike Nkuna.
Perhaps his other love takes precedence over the green.
“Daddy loves his Nollywood movies,” revealed daughter Kemiso. “You’ll find him in the lounge laughing while watching alone. He has a good talent to draw. He is left-handed, so he has a very analytical mind. He also loves Sydney Poitier.
“When we brought school reports he’d say, ‘You did well, great. It’s because you have a piece of my brain.’”
His wife Julegka, who met the Sunday Times team at reception, admires “daddy’s persistence in life. He’s such a calm spirit, even when things are boiling. I pray to God that [Kaizer] Junior can get to the level his father is at and that is not to take things personally, with all the things happening around [the club].”
Nkuna owns an empire that specialises in mall construction. He considers Motaung “the father of South African football” for uplifting the local game.
“There are a lot of people who have made it in life but none with the skill of transforming nothing into something, like him. I am gifted in building malls. Kaizer’s gift is in football. He is a visionary. If it was not for him, we would not have football where it is today,” said Nkuna, a director and shareholder at Chiefs.
“People of today have managed to make millions and billions through tenders because South Africa has transformed, and the government came up with BEE. Not Kaizer, his is through hard work and administration of football. Nothing else.”
Former South African Football Association CEO Raymond Hack said Motaung was among those who pioneered the breakaway from George Thabe’s supposedly black-only National Professional Soccer League to form the National Soccer League. “I’ve known Kaizer for over 50 years from the time Wits broke away from the white league to join the NPSL in the 1970s,” he said.
Hack echoes the Nkuna “V-word” sentiment. “One word describes Kaizer: visionary. He did not follow anyone. The fact that he went to America, he followed his own path to create his own legacy, his own team. One hopes it lives on forever.
“It was his ideas, his concept. Why go for black and gold, because the teams he played for [Pirates and Atlanta Chiefs] didn’t wear those colours. He wanted to create something special and never once has he ever doubted himself and he had the support of his wife, a very religious woman,” said Hack.
“White teams like Durban City, Highlands Park and Arcadia never came anywhere near the support he had. He has diehard supporters.”
Motaung chuckles and clears his throat when he recalls ill treatment he experienced at the hands of “Afrikaner policemen”.
“One of the things which always comes to my mind is when at one time we were driving back from town with Kaizer jnr. He was still a young boy. And there were these roadblocks. The Afrikaner policemen were demeaning towards black people.
“You stop and come out of your car, they say, ‘Who are you and where you are going?’ and all that in front of a little boy who does not understand what is happening. Some of those things were demeaning in character and subjected [us] to embarrassment.
“I was driving a Mercedes, before that a Mustang. The first thing they ask is, ‘Whose car is this?’ That’s how they used to greet you.”
Most of the people who support Chiefs never saw the man — who featured in Lifebuoy soap adverts — play soccer or coach the club. But he was such a largerthan-life, stylish, afro-sporting personality that it’s common, at least in Durban, to hear Chiefs supporters declare: mina ngiwuMtawunga, ngisaphotha iKaizer (I support Motaung, I support Kaizer).
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