The honour is yours Sir, Dr Motaung!
Crowds, academics celebrate Chincha Guluva’s exploits
There were poignant scenes at the University of Cape Town last week as Kaizer Chiefs el supremo Kaizer Motaung was bestowed with an honorary doctorate.
Crowds who descended at the venue broke out in song and danced as Motaung stood still as he watched even academics, including members of the senate joined in song.
Very few people, maybe those in his inner circle, are familiar with the monicker Boy-boy Motaung, the name Motaung used to go by while playing for Atlanta Chiefs in the US.
The name comes up in an archived team picture caption, with Motaung seated on the lefthand side of the front row, with his teammates at the American football club. He named his South African club following his successful playing campaign at Atlanta Chiefs.
Motaung, the founding father of Kaizer Chiefs FC, has been touted one of the first live and in person recipients of an honorary PHD since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Said the university in its citation: “Motaung played a crucial role in the establishment of the South African Premier Soccer League. His contributions have impacted positively in the lives of ordinary South Africans for whom Kaizer Chiefs symbolises hope, dignity and togetherness.”
Popularly known as Chincha Guluva, he founded Kaizer Chiefs in 1970 and turned it into a multi-million-rand institution revered worldwide today.
But it was while he was in Atlanta in the late 60s and early 70s that he made his mark when he debuted for Atlanta Chiefs as a substitute in a friendly game against Manchester City.
In his maiden appearance, Motaung scored a brace, marking one of most startling appearances as a striker from apartheid
South Africa.
To crown that showing by the youthful Motaung, he also received the Rookie of the Season award after scoring 16 goals in 15 matches and with four stunning assists to his credit.
According to the presidency. gov.za, the 16 goals record “remain the highest number of goals scored in a season playing for Atlanta Chiefs as an outdoor team. They soon were changed and adapted to an indoor side in the 1980s.”
Motaung was one of the campaigners to have white and black footballers playing together during apartheid and achieved that goal in 1978.
Although his efforts of establishing his own club on his return to South Africa did not go according to his wishes, Motaung persevered until he was rewarded with when Chiefs began to take shape, as he assembled a mix of veterans and young players to mark what has become one of the most recognisable football club in the country, with its gold and black colours.
To date, Chiefs prides itself as one of the most successful football brands on the continent, winning more than 100 trophies and accumulating a support and fan base of more than 14 million followers.
He contributed positively in the lives of South Africans